Best Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Anyone else order Spinach and Artichoke Dip every chance they get?  I have tasted enough to confidently say this is the best dip and crostini I’ve ever had. The recipe uses an entire can of artichoke hearts and a whole carton of spinach, so I’m also going to claim it’s healthy(ish). Right?! 😉

And if you’re not sold yet, it’s pretty simple to make. Here’s how it’s done!

Start by combining a little softened cream cheese, mayo, salt, and grated mozzarella together in a medium sized bowl.

Chop a can of artichoke hearts, removing any tough pieces of artichokes. This dip has a lot of flavor on its own, so just get plain artichokes and save the marinated ones for another time.

Blanch some spinach in boiling water for about 30 seconds and squeeze dry in a paper towel or clean kitchen towel. It feels a little wrong to do this, but you want to get as much moisture as you can out of the spinach so your dip is creamy, and not watery. Roughly chop the drained spinach.

Add the chopped artichoke and spinach, as well as a sautéed onion to the cheese mixture.

See how tasty it is! This dip is a little lighter on the cream sauce and a little heavier on the veggies. Like I said, it’s all about the healthy choices with me haha.

Spread in a small oven proof pan.

Top with some pinko bread crumbs and grated Parmesan.

Bake until bubbly and golden and serve with crostini!!

Crostini

I like to keep a bag of sliced, frozen French bread in my freezer. That way I can make a batch of crostini when the urge hits, without watching the rest of the loaf of bread turn hard on the kitchen counter.

Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a non stick skillet. Heat the pan over medium heat and place the slices of frozen (or fresh) bread over the oil in the skillet. Season the bread with an all purpose seasoning. The one I uses has salt, pepper, lemon pepper, and some rosemary. Alternately, you can just sprinkle those seasonings on top of the bread slices.

Let the crostini brown for about 30 seconds to 1 minute and turn them over to brown on the other side. Add more oil if necessary. Sprinkle with more seasoning and remove from pan.

Repeat as necessary. Top crostini with dip!

And there you have it, The Best Spinach and Artichoke Dip!

The Best Spinach and Artichoke Dip

4 ounces full fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mayo, Duke if you can find it
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
5 ounces fresh baby spinach, blanched and chopped
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1 baguette, sliced thinly and toasted or corn chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl mix cream cheese, mayo, mozzarella cheese, and salt until smooth. Set aside.

In a medium saute pan over medium heat add olive oil and sliced onion and cook until translucent – about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spinach to boiling water and blanch 30 seconds. Remove spinach with a slotted spoon and place directly onto a clean kitchen towel or double layer paper towels. Drain and thoroughly squeeze dry. Roughly chop the spinach.

Add onion, spinach, and artichoke hearts to the cream cheese mixture. Transfer mixture to an ovenproof shallow pan. Mix the panko crumbs and parmesan. Sprinkle over the dip. Place in oven and cook 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve with toasted baguette slices and/or corn chips.

To make Crostini:
Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Place the bread slices in the skillet, sprinkle with seasoning (mixture of salt, lemon pepper, and rosemary is my favorite!). Cook the crostini for about 30 seconds, until toasty. Flip and season the crostini on the other side. Remove from skillet when both sides are toasty brown. Serve immediately!