Baked Spinach Dip Loaf

By draingal

Ingredients

• 6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled, divided
• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 1-1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 green onions, chopped, divided
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 teaspoons dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 unsliced round loaf (1 pound) sourdough bread
• Cucumber slices

Details

Servings 16
Preparation time 25mins
Cooking time 110mins
Adapted from tasteofhome.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375°. Reserve 1 tablespoon crumbled bacon for topping. Beat cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in spinach, water chestnuts, 1 cup cheese, half of the green onions, garlic, seasonings and remaining bacon.

Cut a 1-1/2-in. slice off top of bread. Hollow out the bottom, leaving a 1/2-in.-thick shell. Cut all removed bread into cubes for serving. Fill shell with dip. Wrap in heavy-duty foil, tenting foil over dip. Bake on a baking sheet 1-1/4 hours.

Open foil carefully, allowing steam to escape. Sprinkle dip with remaining cheese and green onion and the reserved bacon. Bake until cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with cucumber and cubed bread.
Yield: 16 servings (1/4 cup each).

Tip: Reduced-fat or fat-free mayonnaise is not recommended for this recipe.