M: Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Dip

Someone has a case of the Mondays. That would be me. BUT, I have leftover dip from last night, so it’s not all that bad, right? =)

I had to share a little of my Super Bowl spread with you. First off, Aggie’s slow cooker island BBQ chicken…So good and super easy to make! I am usually on a slow cooker kick around this time of year and this was the perfect slow cooker main dish for the Super Bowl!

And as you can see, there’s a little dip on that plate with a side of tortilla chips and pretzel rods. This was my first time making this dip and it is definitely going into my go-to dip recipes. This is a sure fire crowd-pleaser – cheesy and chock full of sausage and beans and spinach. The herbs and red bell pepper complimented all of the flavors so perfectly.

This was seriously awesome. You must make this now. It will make you all sorts of happy and warm inside =) I will say the hub’s exact words were “this dip is ridiculous”, so you gotta know it’s a winner.

The spread was finished off with some cut up fruit and Erica’s cool whip dip.

Perfect Super Bowl food, I must say!

Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Dip

from Southern Living

1 sweet onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 (1 lb.) package hot ground pork sausage

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1/2 cup dry white wine (I used a chardonnay)

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat)

1 (6 oz.) package fresh spinach, chopped

1/4 tsp. salt

1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook onions, bell peppers, and sausage in a large skillet until sausage is no longer pink and is crumbly. Drain the fat. Stir in garlic and thyme. Cook about 1 minute. Stir in wine and cook about 2-3 minutes or until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.

Add cream cheese and cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese has melted. Stir in spinach and salt. Cook, continuing to stir constantly, until the spinach has wilted. Gently stir in the beans. Pour mixture into a 2 quart baking dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. I served with tortilla chips and pretzel rods. SL also suggest corn chips. Yum!

Enjoy!