I have made this recipe no less than six times last year: girl's-night-in, a potluck at work, an appetizer for a party, etc. It is my new favorite quick and easy dish that everyone loves. There is no way to make this vegan with the amount of dairy products in it (sorry, sissy). There is also no low-calorie version... my advice? Just don't eat the pot by yourself. Yes, I've thought about it. No, I haven't done it.
I have learned to keep a few bags of spinach in the freezer and artichokes in the cupboard. The rest of the ingredients are usually on hand, so I can pull it together in a pinch. It takes just a few minutes to prep and you can bake it or toss it in the slow cooker -whatever works for your cooking plans.
Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip
1 - 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (*see footnote before you begin)
1 - 13.75 oz. can quartered artichokes hearts in water, drained and chopped
1 cup light sour cream
2-4 cloves garlic, minced (depends on how much you like garlic)
4 oz. (1/2 a brick) low-fat cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup part-skim Mozzarella cheese, shredded
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup onions, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
Directions for OVEN:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Stir all ingredients together in a bowl until blended. Transfer to an oven-proof baking dish - preferably 1.5 quart CorningWare. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges are golden brown.
Directions for SLOW COOKER:
Stir all ingredients together in a 2-3 quart slow cooker. Turn on low for 1-2 hours.
Serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, celery, carrots, or whatever sounds good to you!
*The day before you're making this, place frozen spinach in bowl in the fridge to thaw. Before mixing ingredients, place spinach in a tea towel, cheese cloth, or flour sack towel, and wring out the liquid. YES, you must do this. Draining through a colander is NOT enough and all it ends up doing is getting spinach stuck in your fine mesh that never comes out. The towel can be washed afterwards - it might have a green hue, so don't use your good white kitchen towel. Plus, the towel ensures removal of all excess water. Extra water ruins the consistency. If you forget to thaw in advance, you can defrost the spinach in the microwave, but its a pain in the butt.
Directions adapted just a tiny bit from www.gimmesomeoven.com/spinach-artichoke-dip/
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