I like to pretend that I am a vegetarian, but the truth is I do eat meat on a fairly consistent basis. But I also like to plan and prepare vegetarian meals and Nate is very accommodating. He will basically eat whatever I fix. So I thought it would be fun to post (perhaps on a semi-regular basis) some of the veggie meals we make, especially the successful, make again ones.
This Spinach Dip is super yummy and very easy to make. I got the recipe from a friend of my sister. It perhaps doesn't really count as a full meal, but because mascarpone cheese is a little on the pricey side, it served as a special treat for our New Years Eve dinner.
Ingredients:
1 small onion, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
16 oz. frozen chopped spinach
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- In a large saute pan over medium heat, cook the onion
with olive oil until translucent.
- Add frozen spinach and heat
until spinach is hot but still green. Add mascarpone, salt, pepper,
cayenne, Parmesan cheese and stir until combined. Pour the mixture into a
small, greased casserole or baking dish.
- Bake for 30 mins. until bubbling around the edges.
Serve warm with pita chips or a sliced baguette.
MY NOTES:
- I've made this by cooking the spinach while still frozen (which yields a little bit more runny/watery dip) and by defrosting the spinach and squeezing out some of the water. Nathan and I decided the defrosted and squeezed method is best.
- I have never used a whole 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. From experience, a 1/8 tsp is perfect for us who like some heat, but don't want to have to take a drink of water in between bites.
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