Skillet Spinach Dip with Dough Balls
A ring of biscuit dough around a pot of hot spinach dip. Car camping food, not pack food.
- calories
- 430
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 86
- protein
- 13 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 30 min
- total time
- 40 min
- water
- none
- 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
- Dutch oven
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Refrigerated pizza or biscuit dough | 1 tube | stays cold in the cooler; do not let it warm up |
|---|---|---|
| Store-bought spinach dip | 16 oz tub | |
| Shredded mozzarella | 1 1/2 cups | |
| Butter | 2 tbsp | melted |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | optional, the tubs run bland |
Method
- Build a bed of coals or set a grate over a low fire. You want steady heat around 350 F, not flames.
- Tear the dough into 16 rough balls and ring them around the inside edge of a cast iron skillet or dutch oven.
- Stir half the cheese and the garlic powder into the tub of dip, then spoon it into the open center.
- Scatter the rest of the cheese over the dip and brush the dough with melted butter.
- Cover with a lid or crimp foil over the top and cook 25 to 30 minutes, until the dough is browned through and the center bubbles.
- Rotate the pan a quarter turn every few minutes and check the bottom. Cast iron over coals scorches from below long before the top is done.
This is an appetizer, not backcountry food, and it makes no attempt to be. Both the dough and the dip are refrigerated, so it belongs at a car camp on a night when the cooler is still cold. Nothing here can be made lighter without becoming a different recipe.
The layout does the work. Dough on the outside ring gets direct contact with hot iron and browns; dip in the center stays off the metal and heats gently instead of splitting. Foil or a lid traps enough heat to cook the tops of the dough balls, which is the part a bare skillet over a fire never manages. Watch the bottom more than the clock.
Packing
Dough and dip both need the cooler, so this is a first- or second-night item. Cheese in a bag, butter in a small tub, garlic powder in the spice kit.
Variations
- Swap half the mozzarella for parmesan if you want it sharper.
- Chopped canned artichoke hearts, drained hard, stir into the dip fine.
- Red pepper flakes or a few dashes of hot sauce cut the richness.
https://campfirefoodie.com/creamy-cast-iron-skillet-spinach-dip-recipe