Santa Fe Spinach Dip

Name: Santa Fe Spinach Dip
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 5 cups.
Ingredients: 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with mild green chiles, drained; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed; 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese; 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese; 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese; 1 cup refrigerated Alfredo sauce; 1 package (10 ounces) frozen leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed dry; 1 tablespoon lime juice; 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning; 2 tablespoons sour cream; Tortilla chips

A Southwestern food fan asked us to bring home a taste of her restaurant favorite—a cheesy spinach dip from Cheddar's Casual Cafe. We came up with this flavor-packed facsimile that's sure to be a hit at your next party. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with mild green chiles, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup refrigerated Alfredo sauce
1 package (10 ounces) frozen leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
2 tablespoons sour cream
Tortilla chips

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, saute onion until tender. Add tomatoes and garlic; cook 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a large saucepan, combine the cheeses and Alfredo sauce. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato mixture, spinach, lime juice and Cajun seasoning. Transfer to a greased 1-1/2-qt. round baking dish.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° until bubbly, 25-30 minutes. Dollop with sour cream. Serve with chips.

Nutrition Facts

1/4 cup (calculated without chips): 149 calories, 12g fat (7g saturated fat), 33mg cholesterol, 358mg sodium, 4g carbohydrate (2g sugars, 1g fiber), 6g protein.

Originally published as Almost Cheddar's Santa Fe Spinach Dip in Country Woman Magazine 2012 - Released to WEB

Reviews

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Average Rating:

kissingcousins

Apr 18, 2016

I'm not rating-just explaining cheese amounts. A package of shredded cheese that weighs 8 ounces fills a 2 cup measuring cup. Although there are 8 ounces in a liquid cup measure, 8 ounces in weight won't always yield the same cup measure. Eight ounces of shredded cheese equals 2 cups; four ounces of shredded cheese equals 1 cup
Ozarkagirl

Nov 15, 2015

This is a great recipe made just as it is written. I have substituted regular cheddar cheese for the white cheddar in the past. This is a favorite for our office "goody day." For all the questions about the cheese; 4 oz. of SHREDDED cheese equals 1 cup of cheese. Read your bags of shredded cheese at the store. An 8 oz. bag of shredded equals 2 cups of cheese.
pammyfisher

Nov 14, 2015

Cee-jay and Gtonic have a good question about the amount of cheeses. I'm thinking it must be 4 oz. (1/2 cup each - otherwise, it would be (including the cream cheese) 4 cups of cheese in this one dish. Doesn't seem right. But, I'd like an answer just the same. (I'll rate this as 5 stars since it's forcing me to and because the recipe sounds great.)
cee-jay

Nov 14, 2015

I would like a clarification to Gtonic's questions about the amount of cheese to use. Is it 1 cup or 1/2 cup?
Gtonic

Jul 11, 2015

I am confused for the 1 cup ingredients.. they have ( 4 ounces) next to the 1 cup. isn't 1 cup 8 oz? I am confused, is it 1/2 cup ( 4 oz) or 1 cup ( 8oz)
sstetzel

Nov 7, 2014

This is wonderful! I mixed the leftover with cooked pasta and baked it for an easy, decadent lunch.
gokartmozart

Jan 7, 2013

Glad I gave this one a shot; it was a hit at our Christmas Eve get-together. I made another batch for Christmas Day, and then AGAIN for New Years. Pretty much followed the recipe to a tee, just added a bit of sour cream to the mixture itself instead of just on top since I wanted a thicker consistency. We loved this dip!
enchantedarknes

Jul 28, 2012

I have been scoping out cheddars santa fe recipes for a while and came across this one that looked a lot better than the other ones floating around the Internet. I was right - this tastes very similar to cheddars. it's definitely different with the tomatoes and whatnot, but you won't be disappointed. give this recipe a shot even though it has only one review :)