From the very first day it premiered 3 years ago, I have been a faithful viewer of The Chew. From Michael Symon’s funny giggle and banter with Mario Batali to Carla Hall’s witty personality, I just love it! This week a couple of recipes made me take notice but specifically Carla’s Cheesy Baked Spinach Dip. 
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 medium Yellow Onion; finely diced
- 2 tablespoons Flour
- 3 cups Milk
- 1 packet Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® dip mix
- 6 ounces Cream Cheese
- 1 cup Swiss Cheese; shredded – preferably Gruyere – divided (I must admit, I double this..lol!)
- 10 ounces Frozen Spinach; thawed and squeezed to remove excess liquid
- Salt
- Optional: 2 oz can of chopped jalapeno peppers
Preheat oven to 350°F.
-
Over medium heat, melt Butter with Olive Oil in a sauce pot. Add Onions, season with Salt and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until soft and pale golden. Sprinkle in the Flour and stir until a dry paste forms.
-
Slowly whisk in Milk, trying to avoid lumps. Stir in the Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® dip mix and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until thickened slightly.
-
Stir in the Cream Cheese and half of the Swiss Cheese until melted. Add the Spinach and remove from heat.
-
Divide mixture between two small oven safe baking dishes. (This can be prepared a few days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer) Notice, that in the picture Carla did hers in miniature ramekins but I chose two separate dishes (One with the original recipe and one with my added change of jalapeno peppers and hot sauce)
-
Place the baking dishes on a rimmed sheet pan and top with the remaining Swiss Cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly on top.
Bottom Line: Bland (Sorry, Carla)! Even the one that I added the jalapenos to fell flat. There are so many better recipes out there for if you are going to have this type of decadent dish! This one needs a lot of help and it isn’t worth making in your kitchen.
That being said, another recipe I tried from the same show turned out perfectly and I will be sharing it soon…Stay tuned!
reciperealities 
