I originally made this as a side dish to a fancy at-home steak dinner for Valentine’s Day. The traditional steak and potatoes, creamed spinach, and good glass of wine vibes, right? And in my mind, I envisioned a jazzed up steakhouse-style creamed spinach situation. It turned out how I imagined.

But as I was eating the dish, I asked myself, how much better would this be if I could dunk things into it? And there we had it! Creamy, savory, tangy, and packed with a lot of flavor, this dip will be a party favorite in no time (especially since everything can be made in one pot).

Leeks are my favorite veggie out of the allium family since they mellow out so much when cooked. Spicy arugula balances out the often heavy creaminess of the cream cheese and the buttermilk adds a nice little tang so you don’t have a boring bowl to snack on. Paired with your favorite chips (mine are baked pita chips with sea salt), you’ll be good to go. Let’s get cooking!

Creamy Arugula & Spinach Dip

Serves: 12 or more, yields about 1 quart

Cook time: 25 minutes

1 tbsp bacon fat (or unsalted butter or olive oil)

4-6 leeks, cut into half moons and rinsed well

6 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 10oz package baby spinach

1 5oz package arugula

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened and cubed

1/4 cup buttermilk

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (with an additional tablespoon for topping)

Favorite chips or veggies for dunking

In a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat, sauté the sliced and rinsed leeks in the bacon fat or unsalted butter. Stirring occasionally, season with kosher salt and black pepper until the leeks are translucent and start to cook down, about 8 minutes.

Once the leeks are translucent and have cooked down a bit, add the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Then, fold in the baby spinach in small amounts until the entire package is wilted down. Up next, do the same thing with the arugula. Once the spinach and arugula have all wilted down, add the softened cream cheese and buttermilk. Stir until the cream cheese has melted completely and is incorporated with the greens.

Add a pinch of ground nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Then, fold in the grated parmesan cheese. Remember, parmesan cheese has a good amount of salt, so adjust your salt and pepper accordingly after adding the cheese. Let the entire mixture simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

Serve immediately with your favorite chips or veggies and enjoy!

¡Buen provecho!