Pull out the slow cooker for this Slow Cooker Spinach and Crab Dip that is a simple, cheesy, and delicious appetizer great for the summer
Disclosure: I received samples of Cabot Cheese because I am a member of their Cabot Cheese Board. However, I bought this block of cheese I used for the recipe independently.
I might make a commission for purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you.
I am obsessed with crabmeat. It's my all-time favorite.
Seriously, I could eat any version of that crustacean every day... Crab claws, claw meat, lump crab meat, jumbo lump {especially!}, crab boils where you pick your own, regular (amazing) crab cakes or gluten free crab cakes, crab stuffed mushrooms ... any way shape or form, I want it!
So when I found this one from My Recipes, I knew it would be something I had to make. And it definitely does not disappoint.
It's cheesy, creamy, filling, and oh-so-satisfying. It has the perfect ratio of cheesiness to crab meat to spinach. Nothing over-powered the other.
Y'all this is so delicious. I want it everyday.
And if you have leftovers {ha!}, it makes a great filling for an omelet.
However, crabmeat is one of those things that shouldn't stay around long after you buy it, so I wouldn't keep leftovers longer than a day or two.
Also, don't waste your money on jumbo lump crabmeat here.
It likely won't stay in it's beautiful jumbo lumpiness that is so wonderful after it cooks for a while, and that would make you really sad so don't waste your tears or money and buy regular lump crabmeat or claw meat.
You'll need 12 ounces of crabmeat for this, so buy a pound of it and eat the remaining crabmeat with a fork straight from the container and relish in crabmeat's gloriousness make half of this Crabmeat & Brie Stuffed Mushrooms recipe.
Be sure that you do a quick pick through of the crabmeat to be sure there are no shell pieces or anything in there. No one wants to take a cheesy, spinachy, crabby-delicious bite and have a crunchy, unpleasant shell in there.
You have two options to make this.
1) You can just stir all the ingredients together and put it in the slow cooker which is obviously the easiest way to do it. It helps to have the cream cheese at room temperature for it to blend better, but it'll melt when it's in the crock-pot.
2) The alternative is to put the cottage cheese, cream cheese, and yogurt in a food processor and blend it together. This is a good option if you don't have time to let the cream cheese soften and want it to be a smoother mixture.
Both are equally delicious, I assure you!
One more thing: make sure you thaw and drain the spinach well. You don't want the liquid from the spinach to make it a soupy dip. That's no good. So just drain it well before adding it to the crock-pot.
I love that this dip is high in protein and packed with veggies.
I served my Spinach and Crab Dip with tortilla chips and cucumber slices {not pictured}, but any thing will do - celery, carrots, or bell peppers or whole wheat crackers or pita chips.
This is great for the summer because it doesn't require turning on an appliance that will warm up your house. The slow-cooker does all the work for you, and you can turn it to warm and let it hang out while people snack on it.
Spinach and Crab Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup grated onion about 1 small onion
- 1 small jalapeño minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 oz cheddar cheese grated
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 TBSP lemon juice
- 10 oz frozen spinach thawed and well-drained
- 12 oz crabmeat about 1 1/2 cups
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- Stir together cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese until relatively smooth. Stir in onion, jalapeño, garlic, cheddar, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and spinach. Make sure it is well-combined.
- Fold in crabmeat and add to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 2 hours. Add in lemon zest, stir well, and serve. Turn to Warm to keep for an extra hour or so.
- Make sure to store in refrigerator when not eating - will keep an extra day or two but not much longer than that.
Notes
*You can substitute 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes + 1/2 tsp extra cayenne pepper for the jalapeño.
*Based on this recipe from My Recipes
What to use in this recipe:
Meme
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Regan @ Cabot says
Yum! It's like combining two of my favorite dips in one bowl 🙂
Meme says
Right?! It's so delicious and perfect for the summer, so you don't have to turn on the oven!
Tracy says
Will this fit in a small crockpot?
Meme says
Hmm how small? Mine holds about 8-10 cups and this recipes makes about 5 cups. So I think if your crock-pot holds at least 5-6 cups then you should be ok! 🙂