Spinach French Onion Cob Dip

5 from 14 votes

Spinach French Onion Cob Dip

Recipe video above. Australia's favourite dip!! This retro classic is a French onion dip made using a packet soup mix with spinach stirred through, served in a hollowed out cob bread loaf.

Don't even think about making this from scratch - that is not the Australian way!

Use the bread scooped out for dipping, and look forward to the end when the dip is all gone and everybody rips into the dip-soaked bread bowl!

Prep Time10

Fridge3

Total Time3 10

Course: Dip

Cuisine: Australian

Keyword: cob dip, french onion soup dip, spinach french onion cob dip

Servings: - 15 people

Calories: 251cal

Author: Nagi

Ingredients

1 packet (40g/1.4oz) French onion soup mix powder, full salt (not low salt)
250g/8 oz cream cheese , full fat
300g/ 10oz sour cream , full fat (or 250g/8oz tub + top up with yogurt or extra mayo)
1/2 cup mayonnaise , whole-egg or Kewpie
250g/8 oz frozen chopped spinach , thawed (I microwave), excess water squeezed out with hands (Note 1)
1 cob loaf (crusty round bread), preferably sourdough, or other shape loaf, about 25cm/10oz wide (Note 2)

Cups - Metric

Instructions

ABBREVIATED RECIPE:

Warm cream cheese then mix well to soften. Mix in mayo, sour cream and soup, then spinach. Fridge 3 hours, serve in bread bowl!

FULL RECIPE:

Soften cream cheese - Put the cream cheese in a microwave-proof bowl and use a wooden spoon to roughly break it up into 8 or so chunks. Microwave on high for ~30 seconds then mix well until it is soft and loose, like sour cream.
Mix - Add the sour cream, mayonnaise and soup powder, mix well. Then stir in spinach.
Fridge 3 hours - Refrigerate, covered, for 3 hours (or overnight) to let the flavours meld.
Bread bowl - Using a bread knife, cut a lid off the bread (about 2.5cm/1" thick). Cut around the inside of the loaf, leaving a 2cm/0.8" border and base. Score the bread inside the ring into 2.5cm/1" squares, then pull the pieces out with your fingers to create a bread bowl.
Serve - Take it out of the fridge 1 hour prior to serving to take the chill out and loosen (if needed, warm slightly in microwave). Give it a good mix, pour into the bowl and serve with the bread pieces on the side for dipping. I recommend providing extra dippers (crackers, chips - my favourite is crinkle cut plain potato chips) as there is more dip than bread!

Warm baked version

Loosely wrap the dip filled bread with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Olive oil spray bread pieces and season with pinch of salt. Scatter around the unwrapped cob dip and bake for a further 15 minutes or until the bread pieces are lightly browned. Serve warm!

Notes

1. Spinach - You could use 300g/10oz fresh baby spinach or English spinach instead, chop/slice then sauté to wilt, squeeze out excess liquid, use per recipe (you need more if using fresh because you lose more weight in water).

2. Cob bread - A round crusty loaf traditionally used to make a bread bowl for this dip. Any shape loaf will work, though I prefer sturdier breads like sourdough or pana di casa because they hold up better for dipping.

If using a softer white bread loaf, I usually toast it first to strengthen it (brush the inside with melted butter, spray the bread cubes with oil, season with a pinch of salt, then bake at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 10 to 15 minutes until lightly golden).

You could also be a rebel and serve this dip in a bowl instead. :)

Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge, I wouldn't leave it in the bread bowl though!

Nutrition per serving assuming 12 servings (includes bread).

Nutrition