This Spinach Artichoke Dip is an easy appetizer you can put together in 30 ish minutes! Itโs creamy and cheesy and a huge hit with everyone. Serve it with tortilla chips, pita crackers, crusty bread, or whatever your heart desires.
About This Recipe
Spinach dip is one of those appetizers I will always order if I see it on the menu. I would go as far as to say it's my favorite appetizer of all time. It's delicious and easy to share, AND it goes great with a glass of beer.
I remember my wife and I always ordered spinach dip when we went to the bars downtown, and sometimes we picked the bars solely based on the quality of their spinach dip. One of my favorite places added sautรฉed onions to their spinach dip, so I'm doing the same with my recipe.
You can control the strength of the onions by how long you cook them. If you like a stronger onion flavor, cook them for only 2-3 minutes, otherwise, for a milder flavor, go for 5-6 minutes. You can even go as far as caramelizing the onions (which would taste absolutely amazing), but that would increase the recipe time by at least 30 minutes. Do what your heart desires ๐
Key Ingredients
Canned artichoke hearts: You can find these in the same section as the pickles in most grocery stores. I'm using whole artichoke hearts and chopping them up myself. One important thing is to drain them thoroughly otherwise water will pool inside the dish when you bake them.
Frozen spinach: I like using frozen spinach as opposed to fresh spinach because frozen spinach will be less watery after you squeeze it dry. Freezing breaks the spinach's cell walls, so more water comes out when you squeeze it.
Sour cream: I use full-fat or 14% sour cream because it is thicker in consistency. I do not like it when spinach dip is thin.
Cream cheese: Make sure you use real cream cheese. The Philadelphia brand is the best. Also, the ones that come in blocks will be better than the spread because they have less filler mixed in.
Mayonnaise: Hellman's brand of mayonnaise is my favorite!
Mozzarella cheese: I mix 1 cup of the cheese into the dip and sprinkle the remaining on top so that some of the cheese gets browned in the oven.
Parmesan cheese: You can use either the real stuff or the "fake" kind you find in the non-perishable section of the grocery store. Personally, I have made this recipe with both of them, and I enjoy both of them; however, my wife does not like the "fake" kind, so I usually use the real one.
How to make it
STEP 1: In a skillet, saute the onions for 2-3 minutes until the onions are softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
STEP 2: Transfer to a large bowl and mix with the sour cream, mayo, cream cheese, mozzarella, parmesan cheese, and black pepper.
STEP 3: Stir in the artichoke hearts and spinach. Pour into a casserole dish and top with more mozzarella cheese.
STEP 4: Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is lightly browned and the sides are bubbling!
๐ Recipe
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ยฝ medium onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
- ยฝ cup sour cream
- ยฝ cup mayonnaise
- 1 ยฝ cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)
- ยพ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ยฝ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed as dry as possible)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375ยฐF.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- To the bowl of onions and garlic, add the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, 1 cup of the mozzarella, parmesan, and black pepper. Mix until evenly incorporated.
- Stir in the artichoke hearts and frozen spinach (make sure the spinach is as dry as possible otherwise the dip will be soggy).
- Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the inside is warm and the top is lightly golden.
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