If you don’t like spinach and artichoke dip, then I am sorry for your loss. I can’t think of a better hot dip to have at a gathering. There is something about this dip that makes it that much better than all the rest of the dips.

When it comes to my family, Spinach and Artichoke dip seems to be one of those dishes where you can never have enough of it. There are a few anti-spinach people, but the majority of my family members will be crowding around the bowl, dishing out as much as they can. For that reason, this dip was an obvious “must have” at our Labor Day party last weekend.

So much deliciousness in just one bite!

Ingredients

• 2 packages (20oz) frozen chopped spinach
• 20-24oz artichoke hearts
  • You can buy them in a can or jar. If you can only find ones that come in a marinade it’s okay, just make sure you rinse them in a strainer first.
• 2 c sour cream
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 8oz cream cheese
• 2 c mozzarella
• 1 1/3 c parmesan
• 1/2 small yellow onion
• Salt and Pepper
• Chips for serving
  • I prefer Pita Chips, any brand will work.

Directions

1. Allow the spinach to thaw in a bowl, covered by a paper towel. While the spinach thaws, place the cream cheese in a bowl or on a plate and allow it to get to room temperature.
2. Rinse the artichoke hearts, if necessary. Coarsely chop and place them in a medium-large sized bowl.
3. Mince the garlic cloves and chop 1/2 a yellow onion. Place them in the same bowl as the artichoke hearts.
4. Add the sour cream, mozzarella and parmesan to the bowl as well.
   • Optional: Reserve some mozzarella and parmesan for topping.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
6. Once the spinach has thawed, add the spinach and cream cheese to the bowl.
7. Mix everything until well combined and season to taste.
   • Yes, you can taste it cold, it just taste better when its all nice and warm.
8. Pour mixture into a 9×9 pan and sprinkle the top lightly with extra mozzarella and parmesan (optional).
   • I topped mine with extra cheese to give it a nice crispy top layer.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes. If you topped with extra cheese, broil on low for 5 minutes or longer, until the cheese is golden on top.

Test Kitchen: Opinions and Changes

I originally found this recipe from Gimme Some Oven and I have been using it for a while. Everyone always asks me to bring this dip when they are having a gathering, so it must be pretty good! I enjoy the recipe, but I did make a few changes.

In general, I double the size of the recipe (that is the quantity written above), especially when making it for a large gather because one batch is not enough to feed a large crowd; it will be gone faster than you made it! For the artichokes, I decrease the quantity slightly because I don’t want it to over power the dish. That is why I wrote a range of how much should be added in. I “decreased” the amount of onion used. I say it like that because the original recipe says 1/3 cup per batch, but I just buy a super small onion and use half.

Also, I say to do salt and pepper by taste, rather than giving a quantity because everyones tastebuds are different! If you want generalized quantities, I would do about 1 or 1 1/2 tsp of pepper and then half of that for salt. I chose to add extra cheese, both mozzarella and parmesan, on the top because I really like a nice crispy outer shell.

This dip is absolutely delicious and I wish I could have eaten more when I made it last weekend! I will probably come up with an excuse to make myself a batch soon.

What’s your favorite hot or cold dip? Leave it in the comments below!

Happy Baking!