Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Boy did I eat well this weekend! I couldn’t get enough of this dip, and when we ran out of bread, it was on to tortilla chips! But anyways, this is about you. I wanted to bring you a recipe that you can tote to all the parties coming up this weekend – or just tote outside for your own. This is a really fun appetizer to make because people really go crazy for it. I think it has something to do with that creamy-yet-tangy flavor that is truly addicting.

Spinach and Artichoke dip is very easy to make, and you can pretty much do it on 2 surfaces: the cutting board and the skillet. Its easy to make, easy to clean-up. Which allows you to do what you really wanted to do on 4th of July – relax!

Ingredients

9 oz fresh spinach
1/2 tsp salt, divided
Pepper to taste
1 tsp garlic, divided
1 14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts
1 8 oz package of cream cheese, cut into about 6 small pieces
1/4 C sour cream
3 T parmesan cheese
1/3 tsp ground red pepper flakes

For dip served hot:
1/4 C bread crumbs
1/3 C shredded cheese (I like parm)

Directions

1. Rough chop the entire package of spinach, and toss into a skillet on medium heat. Toss in 1/4 tsp salt, pepper, and 1/2 tsp garlic. Cook until the spinach is moist and wilted.

2. Chop artichoke hearts into small pieces – they will start to fall apart while you chop. This is totally ok, you are just trying to facilitate the making of smaller pieces. Uniform pieces of artichoke are not necessary. 🙂 Add chopped artichoke to skillet.

3. Toss the cream cheese into the skillet and stir while it melts. This will take about 3-4 minutes, and when its done, you will begin to see the texture of this dip.

 

 

4. Toss the sour cream and parmesan cheese into the mixture. Again, stir while this slowly melts into the dip.

5. Toss in the remaining salt (1/4 tsp), pepper (to taste), garlic (1/2 tsp), and ground red pepper flakes. Instead of literally grinding my flakes, I actually chopped these itty bitty guys until they were really small, and almost ground. This will help spread the spicy flavor rather than coming across a few very spicy bites!

If you prefer your dip cold, then you can stop here! Throw it in the refrigerator to cool, and you are ready to serve. If you like a warm, gooey spinach and artichoke dip, you’ve got two more stops ahead of you:

6. Combine parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. This will create that hard cheesy shell on top.

7. Place dip in the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese topping has melted!

As you can see, this dip is really versatile depending on when and where you want to serve it. But its also really versatile in terms of what you serve it with! I like to slice a baguette and serve it around the dip bowl – you can serve the baguette cold or toasted. You can also serve with pita chips or tortilla chips. I should warn you…your friends are going to be super impressed with your restaurant quality appetizer.

Hungry for more great recipes? Explore more Lawyer in the Kitchen!