A creamy baked appetizer dip that is filled with cream cheese, spinach, artichokes and garlic. It is definitely a crowd please and makes a great party appetizer!
Any of the following are delish as dippers: pita chips, tortilla chips, carrots, celery, lavosh, bagel chips, warm baguette, or crostini
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°. Grab an 8x8 or similar size baking dish.
This step is very important so your spinach artichoke dip doesn't end up like soup! Thaw your frozen chopped spinach in the fridge overnight or in the microwave. With a towel or fine mesh colander squeeze the excess water out of the spinach.
With a hand mixer and a large bowl first combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, 1 CUP of the grated parmesan cheese, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix until it is nice and fluffy, about 1 minute.Sprinkle in the spinach, breaking up any large chunks, and stir in by hand, until it is well distributed.Fold in the artichokes, pimentos and green onions.
Pour the mixture into the baking dish and top with the remaining ½ cup of parmesan cheese. Cover with foil.TIP: lightly spray the bottom side of the foil with cooking spray so it won't stick to the cheese!!
Bake the spin dip for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes. (if you want a really golden top you can broil for the last couple minutes)
Cool for just about 5 minutes before serving.
Serving
Serve this spinach artichoke dip warm/hot with any of the following dippers:pita chips, tortilla chips, carrots, celery, lavosh, bagel chips, warm baguette, crostini.
Notes
MAKE AHEAD: To make a day or two ahead simply prepare completely, but leave the cheese off the top. Cover with foil and place in the fridge for a day or two. Before baking sprinkle the cheese on top and follow the baking instructions. Note - you may need to bake an extra 5-10 minutes when baking straight from the fridge.FRESH SPINACH:You can use fresh spinach in this recipe - you will need about a pound of fresh spinach. Give it a good chop, removing any large stems. Pop it in a skillet over medium heat with a little olive oil. Sauté until it is completely softened, then when it is cool enough to handle squeeze the excess water out.