Foil Packet Spinach Dip
A hot cheese dip built from shelf-stable powders, cooked in foil next to the coals.
- calories
- 330
- weight
- 2.6 oz
- cal / oz
- 127
- protein
- 11 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- 180 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried spinach | 1 cup loose | stands in for the frozen block |
|---|---|---|
| Cream cheese powder | 3/4 cup | |
| Sour cream powder | 1/3 cup | |
| Grated parmesan | 1/2 cup | the shaker kind keeps for weeks unrefrigerated |
| Shredded mozzarella | 1 cup | half goes on top; carry cold if you have a cooler |
| Dry vegetable soup mix | 1 packet | Knorr or similar |
| Water | 3/4 cup | hot |
| Heavy-duty foil | 2 sheets | |
| Crackers or pita chips | for dipping |
Method
- Get a fire down to coals. Flames scorch the foil and leave the middle cold.
- Stir the spinach into 3/4 cup of hot water and let it sit five minutes until it relaxes. Pour off anything that does not get absorbed.
- Add the cream cheese powder, sour cream powder, parmesan, soup mix, and half the mozzarella. Stir until it is one thick paste with no dry pockets.
- Double up two sheets of foil, pile the mixture in the middle, scatter the rest of the mozzarella over it, and fold the edges into a sealed packet with headroom on top.
- Set the packet on the coals or a grate for 20 to 25 minutes. Rotate it once. It is done when the center is hot and loose.
- Open it away from your face. The steam comes out first. Eat from the foil.
The original wanted a tub of sour cream, a brick of cream cheese, and a frozen block of spinach, which is three refrigerated items for one bowl of dip. Powdered cream cheese and sour cream rehydrate into the same thick base and ride in a pack all week. Freeze-dried spinach replaces the frozen block and skips the wringing-out step entirely.
Cook it on coals, not flame. Foil conducts fast and the dairy solids on the bottom will scorch before the middle warms if you set it over open fire. Mozzarella is the one thing worth a cooler slot; grated parmesan is dry enough to sit in the food bag without complaint.
Packing
All the powders and the soup mix go in one bag at home. Mozzarella rides separately in the cooler; parmesan does not need one. Crackers in a hard container or you will be scooping with dust.
Variations
- Chopped dried artichoke, rehydrated with the spinach, makes it the spinach-artichoke version.
- Freeze-dried jalapeño or a shake of chili flakes cuts the richness.
- Real bacon bits from a shelf-stable pouch add fat and salt.
https://campfirefoodie.com/foil-packet-campfire-spinach-dip-recipe