Serve this Cheesy Baked Shrimp and Spinach Dip at your next party and it’s sure to be the first dish devoured! My friends and family BEG for this easy cheesy appetizer!
I sometimes joke that I should rename my blog PEAS AND CHEESE since my recipes tend to gravitate towards all things cheesy. Though who wants to think about cheese and peas together!? Eek! Hard pass.
CHEESE AND CRAYONS is always an option I suppose… Nope. That’s even weirder! I think I’ll stick with the moniker I chose for this little blog baby of mine nearly 8 years ago.
Well now I just feel old…
On to the cheese!
There are a bevvy of veggie-spiked healthified versions of both cold and hot spinach dips already in rotation around here but I would be failing you terribly if I didn’t even things out with the most luscious, indulgent, lick-the-skillet-clean spinach dip ever to grace your table.
Or your friend’s table. Sharing is caring!
This dip is INSANE. It’s bonkers in the best way possible! If you’re serving a crowd you’ll want to do yourself a favor and print out a few copies of the recipe to hand out to friends. Once the bowl has been licked clean, people are going to straight-up hound you for it!
TOUCHDOWN!
To ensure maximum spinach consumption, I spiked this skillet sensation with not one but TWO packages of velvety spinach then swirled it with a combination of cream cheese, Havarti, and Parmesan… a trio that’s sure to make you weak in the knees! Because I rarely make a traditional recipe around here, the base for this recipe is sautéed onion, garlic, and SHRIMP!
Living on the Gulf has taught me that the one surefire way to make bubbly hot spinach dip even better is to add a little seafood to the mix, it’s fantastic! Luscious Havarti cheese combined with the tasty trifecta of sautéed onion, garlic, and shrimp delivers a punch of flavor to this incredible spinach dip!
My friends and family literally beg for it, and when you make it for your next party you’ll see why!
Cheesy Baked Shrimp and Spinach Dip
Cheesy Baked Shrimp and Spinach Dip
Ingredients
- 9 oz frozen chopped spinach thawed
- 9 oz frozen creamed spinach thawed
- 8-10 oz shrimp thawed if frozen
- 1 TBSP oil or butter
- ½ cup onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic smashed and minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- 8 oz Havarti cheese freshly grated
- 4 oz cream cheese
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- ⅛ tsp red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Thaw spinach as desired. I heated mine using the microwave but you can also leave in the fridge overnight to defrost. Easy peasy!
- Squeeze frozen chopped spinach to remove excess moisture then combine with creamed spinach.
- Bring an 8-12 inch cast iron skillet to medium-high heat, then sauté onion in 1 TBSP butter or oil, adding minced garlic towards the end to prevent burning.
- Add the shrimp and sauté for a few additional minutes until the shrimp turn opaque.
- Season with salt and reduce heat to lowest setting.
- Add your spinach and cheeses (including cream cheese) and mix well.
- Re-season to taste if desired.
- Top with extra cheese if desired (a little extra cheese is always welcome around here!) then add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until dip is hot and bubbly.
- Serve with an assortment of veggies, tortilla chips, and/or pita wedges for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition
Tips and Tricks
Not feeling the shrimp? You can absolutely leave it out! The dip will still taste fantastic as is, so don’t fret since you can simply skip it.
No Havarti? No problem!
Gouda (skip the smoked one + grab the plain variety) makes an excellent swap as does Gruyere, Fontina, and Mozzarella cheeses. To amp up the flavor, I usually pair soft, melty cheeses like these with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Delicious!
I love having a cast iron skillet on hand for hot dips like this one since it goes from stove-top to oven without the need to dirty another dish. Hello one-pot wonder!
Need a make-ahead dish?
You have two delicious options: You can make the entire dip minus the shrimp a day or two in advance, then add freshly sautéed shrimp to the dip just before popping the dip in the oven to bake/reheat. You could also make the entire dip ahead of time then reheat when needed. This depends mostly on preference for fresh shrimp. Around here we’ll scarf this delicious dip any and every way!
hungry for more?
- Instant Pot Black Bean Dip
- Hot Corn Dip with Shrimp and Veggies
- Hot Caramelized Onion Mushroom Dip
- Buffalo Shrimp Dip
Jenn this was FABULOUS! I topped mine with Mozzarella and Parmesan. Question, have you tried freezing this?
I’m so glad it was a hit, Londa! I haven’t tried freezing it but I’ve seen frozen seafood dips and frozen spinach dips at the grocery store so maybe it’s possible? My only concern would be the already cooked shrimp overcooking once reheated from frozen? Let me know if you get a chance to experiment! xoxo
Hi Jenn
Looking forward to making this dip! Just wondering if you topped your dip with additional harvarti and parmesan or did you use Mozzarella and parmesan to top dip? Thanks,
Londa
Hi Londa! I’ve actually done (and loved!) both versions you just listed — it usually depends on what I have handy or what I grated extra of. Extra havarti and parm will add extra flavor on top and using mozzarella on top will give that super stretchy cheese pull! So excited for you to try the dip!
What size shrimp…assuming smaller is better?
Hi Michelle! Great question! I always tell everyone just use what you have on hand. I used to always have large and XL handy but lately have been buying smaller shrimp since it’s less expensive and super bite-sized. If you haven’t run to the store yet then totally grab some smaller shrimp. If there’s already larger shrimp in your fridge/freezer you chan chop that up into little bites for the dip and skip the store. xoxo
This is the best dip ever. I made this dip for a SCENTSY party and my family absolutely loved it!
My daughter is turning 20 and we’re having a dinner at our house and this is one of the dips
that has been suggested.
Ahhhh yay! Best news ever! Thank you Teresa – we love it too!
Thanx Jenn! I’ve been obsessed w/ your recipes! You’re truly a blog wonder!?
You’re too sweet! Let me know how the dip turns out! And save me a few bites? 😉
Love this recipe, especially all that gooey cheese on top. I myself am a cheese addict 😉
It’s the best addiction to have 🙂 Cheese people are the best people! <3
This looks decadently delicious & going to try-immediately!! Is it just me? But exactly when do you add the shrimp? In the skillet w/ the onion & garlic? Thanx! Also love the Peas-n-Cheese!!!
Thanks Jan! I’m super excited you’ll be trying it and hope you adore it as much as we do! I’m already counting the days until I can make it again! 🙂 I updated the recipe to make the instructions more clear; somehow I skipped a step. Thank you so so much for the heads up!
Yum! Sounds so good. Thanks for sharing!
Cheese is my favorite food group! 😉 This dip looks so good!!!!!
I don’t know, I think peas and cheese has a pretty good ring to it 😉
Haha it’s growing on me =) After 2 weeks of Whole30 I’m ready to change my name to CHEESE! I cannot wait to have this dip again!
Peas and cheese is actually a really good combination. I’m a big fan of peas alongside my mac & cheese. But I’ve also had straight-up cheese melted on peas. I wouldn’t knock it!
Actually that’s true, I LOVE peas in my macaroni and cheese! Good call Joyce! 😉
This seriously looks so good! I can’t wait to make it!
Rachel
Simply Rachel Nicole