Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Dip
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Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Dip is anything but your run-of-the-mill sausage cream cheese dip.
Served warm, this hearty sausage dip is flavored with white wine, fresh spinach, and thyme giving it a depth of flavor that’s irresistible.
Creamy and delicious, Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Dip served with tortilla or corn chips is one of my family’s favorite party appetizers. It’s perfect for Super Bowl or March Madness viewing parties, tailgate parties, or any other get-together.
When I make Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Dip for parties, I like to cook and serve it in my cast iron skillet. It just seems fitting for such a hearty dip!
Be warned, this dip will disappear quickly, so if you’re entertaining a large group you may want to double the recipe!
Ingredients
There are other sausage cheese dips out there, like the super easy Velveeta® Sausage Dip, but today’s recipe is almost a meal in itself!
- Spicy hot ground pork sausage—for flavor and protein
- Sweet onion, red bell pepper, and garlic—these aromatic ingredients add so much flavor to many recipes
- Fresh thyme leaves—adds a touch of freshness
- Dry white wine—just a half-cup is added to enhance the flavor (Note: The alcohol evaporates during cooking and only the flavor remains.)
- Cream cheese—adds the creamy texture that holds the dish together
- Fresh baby spinach—adds color and nutrients
- Kosher salt—always a flavor enhancer
- Canned pinto beans—another good source of protein
- Parmesan cheese—sprinkled on top and melted in the oven…yum!
How to make Hearty Sausage Dip
If you are planning to serve Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Dip for a party, you can prep most of it ahead of time. Follow the recipe instructions up until topping with the Parmesan cheese. Cool and refrigerate, then pop it into the oven to reheat and melt the cheese on top just before serving.
STEP 1 | Cook the sausage
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Note: This recipe starts on top of the stove, then finishes in the oven to melt and brown the cheese.
In a large oven-safe skillet (like cast iron) over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, diced onion and red bell peppers, stirring often until the meat crumbles and is no longer pink.
STEP 2 | Simmer with aromatics
Drain off the grease. Return the skillet to the heat and stir in the garlic and thyme, cooking until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the white wine and cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated.
STEP 3 | Melt in the cheese
Add the cream cheese in chunks, cooking and stirring until it is completely melted.
Stir in the spinach and season with kosher salt. Cook and stir until the spinach is wilted. Gently fold in the beans.
STEP 4 | Finish in the oven
Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top and transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until the dip is bubbly and the cheese is golden brown.
“I made this for dinner last week, and it was perfect. I even dare to say it was better heated up the next day! Great combination of protein and veggies!!”
—Whitney
Frequently asked questions
To bake the dip in a glass dish instead of a skillet, after adding the spinach and beans pour the mixture into a 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and finish baking as directed.
Since this dip includes dairy (cream cheese), it will generally keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store the dip in an air-tight container. Do not freeze.How to reheat sausage dip
To reheat leftover Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Dip, spoon the dip into a microwave-safe dish and cook in the microwave at 30-second intervals until warmed through.
Serving suggestions
- Corn chips—be sure to use the BIGGER corn chip scoops
- Tortilla chips—you won’t want to use thin chips with this dip! Opt for the thicker, hearty chips.
- Pretzel rods
- Multi-colored bell peppers—cut into thick strips for dipping
Behind the recipe: Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Dip
The first time I made this dip recipe, our daughters were home for the weekend to run in a family 5K and to watch UT football with us parents.
I recently reshot the original photos and fully intended to update this post before the holidays, but life got in the way and I took a much needed 2-week hiatus from blogging. Bloggers need vacations, too, right?
Anyway, I decided that even though the new photos sport a Christmasy theme, this recipe absolutely needed to be shared before the Super Bowl and March Madness—it’s that good!
By the way, good food + football + family = great fun in my book!
Back to the first time I made Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Dip… After completing the 5K, my family spent the afternoon watching football and snacking on this delicious dip.
My girls had read the recipe ingredients and were a little skeptical, but I felt sure it would be a hit. Guess what? Mom knows best — we all loved this appetizer! 😉
Related recipes
Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Dip
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet onion diced
- 1 large red bell pepper diced
- 1 lb. hot ground pork sausage
- 2 medium garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- ½ cup dry white wine or cooking wine
- 1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese softened
- 1 6 oz. pkg. fresh baby spinach coarsely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 15 oz. can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large oven-safe skillet (like cast iron) over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, diced onion and red bell peppers, stirring often until the meat crumbles and is no longer pink, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Drain off the grease. Return the skillet to the heat and stir in the garlic and thyme, cooking another minute until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the white wine and cook for 2 minutes, until the liquid has almost completely evaporated.
- Add the cream cheese in chunks, cooking and stirring until it is completely melted.
- Stir in the spinach and season with kosher salt. Cook and stir until the spinach is wilted. Gently fold in the beans.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top and transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until the dip is bubbly and the cheese is golden brown.
Notes
- This recipe starts on top of the stove, then finishes in the oven to melt and brown the cheese.
- To bake in a glass dish instead of a skillet, after Step 5 pour the mixture into a 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and finish baking as directed.
- Store leftovers refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
- Do not freeze.
- To reheat leftovers, spoon the dip into a microwave-safe dish and cook in the microwave at 30-second intervals until warmed through.
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
I made this for dinner last week, and it was perfect. I even dare to say it was better heated up the next day! Great combination of protein and veggies!!
Whitney, that’s awesome! Thanks for letting me know. Have a blessed week 🙂
Just had this for dinner tonight (I know, it’s supposed to be an appetizer- we do this sometimes). It was delicious! My husband has recently had to change his diet to a gluten-free option and this dish works! Ate with Fritos, which are gluten-free. Thanks for sharing. Praying and thankful for Faith.
Susan, thanks for your comments! I’m so glad to hear that you liked this dish, and we also like doing appetizers for our meals–nothing wrong with that one bit! Blessings to you, Sheila
Congrats on your 5k! What a great cause to support. From a non-runner to another: you TOTALLY earned this drool-worthy dip!
Thanks, Sarah! We’re planning to run another one as a family–it is definitely a good thing to get going!
Oh my!! This looks delicious! I’ve never seen a dip quite like this, my husband will LOVE it…I’m going to surprise him next game day:-) Thanks for sharing!
Oh, yeah! Let me know what your husband thinks about it?
Wow this dip looks incredibly cheesey, delicious and jam packed full of incredible flavours. Wish I had a bowl of some right now to devour, your images have gotten me hungry!
Thank you, Thalia!