Chorizo Corn Spinach Dip

I've been wanting to make a dip for a long time now but I couldn't think of what to put it in. So I started with the idea of a spinach and artichoke dip and began to tinker with it. Add some spice, meat, and corn and here you have a chorizo corn spinach dip! Serve this with some tortilla chips for the ultimate sweet, spicy, and savory appetizer.

Print Recipe

Chorizo Corn Spinach Dip

Total Time45 mins

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: dips and spreads, pork

Servings: 12

Author: Cherry on My Sundae

Ingredients

• 4 ounces chorizo
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 shallots minced
• 1 jalapeno seeded
• 2 ears corn shucked
• 4 ounces frozen spinach thawed
• 4 ounces cream cheese softened
• ½ cup sour cream
• 6 ounces shredded mozzarella divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon lime zest
• salt and pepper
• ¼ cup cotija
• 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook until browned, crumbling the sausage into smaller pieces as it cooks. Remove from heat and transfer the chorizo to a large bowl.
• Wipe the pan clean and heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add the shallots and jalapeno and saute for 1 minute or until softened. Add the corn and saute until the corn is tender and cooked, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and add to the bowl with the chorizo. Let cool slightly.
• Add the frozen spinach, cream cheese, sour cream, 4 ounces of mozzarella, garlic powder, paprika, and lime zest to the chorizo corn mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the dip to a 8x8 inch baking dish or 10-inch cast iron pan. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top along with the cotija. Bake the dip for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from heat and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve warm with tortilla chips or crusty bread.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

If I had to choose between a hot dip or a cold one, I would choose the hot one. You can't pull me away from that melty gooey cheese! So when it came to coming up with a dip recipe, I had to make it a hot one. Sure, it takes a little more effort to actually cook the appetizer, but it'll be worth it.

The star ingredients of this chorizo corn spinach dip are chorizo, corn, and cheese. You can swap out the chorizo for another sausage if you prefer. I personally like the spicy kick that chorizo gives.

You can also use frozen corn instead of fresh but fresh corn is always sweeter, which plays nicely against the spicy meat.

Start making the dish by first sauteeing the chorizo. Chorizo has a lot of fat so we want to render out as much as possible.

Once the chorizo has browned, remove it from the pan and saute the shallots, jalapeno, and corn. If you're using frozen corn, you can skip this step and just saute the shallots and jalapeno.

Now toss everything together including the chorizo, corn mixture, spinach, cream cheese, sour cream, some of the mozzarella, spices, and lime zest. Spread the mixture into an oven-safe dish such as a cast-iron pan.

Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and cotija on top and bake the dip until beautifully browned. The cheese should be bubbling around the edges and the smell...oh the smell! It's just heavenly.

Sprinkle chopped cilantro on the chorizo corn spinach dip and serve it warm with tortilla chips, crusty bread, pita chips, whatever your heart desires!

Even before I had a bite, I knew this was going to be a good one. I mean, how can you go wrong with spicy chorizo, sweet corn, and melty cheese? You just can't.

For more dip inspiration check out this caramelized onion, bacon, and gruyere dip!