Skinny Hot Spinach Dip Recipe (2024)

November 2, 2016 by Jeanette 32 Comments

This Skinny Hot Spinach Dip is a deliciously light dip that is packed with nutrition and protein. Great for an after-school snack, Game Day, or parties.

I came up with this Skinny Hot Spinach Dip recipe four years ago as a healthy after-school snack for my youngest son. I still remember him telling me it was the best dip ever!

Cottage Cheese – The Secret Skinny Ingredient

This skinny hot spinach dip contains a secret ingredient that can make your creamy dips healthier while packing a punch of protein. Low-fat cottage cheese stands in for the typical cream cheese and mayonnaise that you often find in spinach dip recipes. The trick is to puree the cottage cheese. Pureed cottage cheese is thick and creamy like cream cheese. I’ve used pureed cottage cheese to make Skinny Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits too.

Here’s what I found out when I compared the nutrition labels for 1% Cottage Cheese and regular Cream Cheese. One cup of Regular Cream Cheese has 800 calories, 72 grams of fat and 16 grams of protein. Light Cream Cheese has 420 calories, 31 grams of fat and 21 grams of protein. And one cup of 1% Cottage Cheese has 163 calories, 2.3 grams of fat and 28 grams of protein.

Every day after school, I try to make my son a hearty healthy snack because he is starving when he gets home. If we have leftover Cincinnati chili, I might makeCincinnatichili refried bean dip. My son also loves loaded turkey taco nachosand 9 layer Mexican dip.

I usually try to sneak in some vegetables during snack time, so this Skinny Hot Spinach Dip is a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies. Although this recipe is enough for 2-3 adults, my son ate the entire bowl by himself. That is an entire box of frozen spinach!

Health Benefits of Spinach

Spinach is an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K, and folic acid, and a very good source of manganese, potassium, magnesium, iron and vitamin B2.

Spinach contains twice as much iron as most other green vegetables, and is also one of the most alkaline-producing foods, which helps regulate body pH (pH 5.50-6.80). *

Spinach contains a high amount of oxalate, so individualson a low-oxalate diet (e.g., individuals with a history of kidney stones) shouldavoid eating too much spinach.

Give this Skinny Hot Spinach Dip recipe a try next time you’re hungry and need something filling but healthy to munch on. My original recipe used Parmesan cheese, but I have also used pepper jack cheese for some heat.

Here’s the original photo of this recipe from four years ago.

If you want to try more healthy dip recipes using cottage cheese, check out my

Skinny Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

and Light Jalapeno Popper Dip.

Philly Cheesesteak Dip

This recipe is part of Food Network’s Fall Fest event featuring spinach. Be sure to check out the following recipes from all my friends participating in this event.

Feed Me Phoebe: October Evening Lentil Soup With Spinach
And Love It Too: Grain-Free Spinach Pie
Cooking With Elise: Baby Spinach Salad With Cranberries, Spiced Pecans and a Maple Vinaigrette
Virtually Homemade: Three Onion Dip With Spinach
HGTV Gardens: Garden-to-Table: Spinach
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Whole-Wheat Pasta With Spicy Spinach and Peanut Butter Pesto
Thursday Night Dinner: Spinach Ice Cream
Cooking Channel: Fresh Spinach in Indian Recipes
Daily*Dishin: Spinach-Sausage Saute With Pan-Fried Gnocchi
Delicious Lean: Spinach Leaf Roll Ups
Bacon and Souffle: Baby Spinach Pizza With Sopressata and Sriracha
FN Dish: Stuff It With Spinach

* Source: The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, Michael Murray