Spinach Dip Cups

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Posted by Cassie / 57 comments » / Appetizers, Breakfast, Dips, Sides, Snacks, Vegetarian, Veggies

Baby Spinach Cups

You are invited! To celebrate Brooke of Baking with Basil and her two bundles of joy, Aiden and Oliver. Aiden and Oliver were born on March 5th and we are excited to celebrate with them! I had the pleasure of meeting Brooke at Food Blog Forum in Nashville in October and she is a doll. I have loved watching her pregnancy too, and can’t wait to watch Aiden and Olive grow!

I’ve had a thing lately with won ton wrappers. But I realized recently that I’d never made “cups” using a cupcake pan. Everyone likes individual servings of anything, right? At least I do.

And since this is a baby shower, we are calling them bassinets. You on board? Good.

Baby Spinach Cups

I knew that I wanted to use baby spinach for this dish too. I paired sauteed shallots, garlic, and green onions with thyme and a simple shortcut (vegetable dip packet.) And to make them creamy…

Baby Spinach Cups

Greek yogurt! And oh my goodness, it added such richness to the filling mixture. I loved the tang and the creamy texture; it complimented the thyme-lemon combination so well. Smooth? I think so. Best of all – there is minimal guilt in these babies (OK, I’ll stop)! I didn’t miss any flavor that would have normally been added by cream cheese, mayo or sour cream.

Make sure and visit the other shower hosts and their treats:

Amy – Fearless Homemaker {malted chocolate sandwich cookies}
Caroline – Chocolate and Carrots {two peas in a pod sugar cookies}
Julie – Table for Two {dark chocolate cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting}
Lauren – Lauren’s Latest {cuban pork sliders}
Mary – Fervent Foodie {tomato *basil* bruschetta}
Vanessa – Life Undeveloped {green pea pesto crostini}

Print Recipe

Spinach Dip Cups

Yield: 12 'bassinets'

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Won ton cups filled with a healthy twist on classic spinach dip.

Ingredients:

24 won ton wrappers
2 tsp. olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup green onions, chopped, divided
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 package (1.4-ounce) vegetable dip mix (I like Knorr)
2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
6 ounces cup plain Greek yogurt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer 2 won ton wrappers in each cavity of a 12-cavity cupcake pan. Bake for 5-6 minutes or until the tips of the won ton wrappers begin to brown. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Saute the shallot, garlic and half of the green onions until they become fragrant and tender. Season the onion/garlic mixture with salt, pepper and thyme and stir in baby spinach. Stir well until wilted. Add vegetable dip mix, lemon, garlic and yogurt and stir until combined.

Divide filling evenly into each of the pre-baked won ton wrappers; I found that I spooned a little more than 1 tablespoon-full of filling into each. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until slightly browned.

The 'bassinets' can be served warm or cold.

Cassie's Notes:
This recipe is easily multiplied when you need large quantities.

If Greek yogurt isn't your thing, substitute the same amount (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) of cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream or plain regular yogurt, or a combination of them, depending on your tastes.