Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip
The best cheesy baked spinach artichoke dip recipe, lightened up with extra veggies and no mayonnaise! Everyone will love this delicious appetizer recipe; it’s great served hot or even at room temperature. Recipe yields 8 appetizer servings.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- Pinch of salt
- 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach), thawed*
- 1 jar (12 ounces) marinated artichokes or 1 can (15 ounces) canned artichokes in water, drained and chopped
- 8 ounces sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 2 ounces crumbled feta or goat cheese (about ½ cup)
- 6 ounces freshly grated part-skim mozzarella (about 1 ½ cups), divided
- 3 dashes of your favorite hot sauce (I recommend Cholula)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For serving: Tortilla chips, pita wedges, small slices of toasted bread, crackers, or crisp, firm veggies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion and bell pepper are nice and tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, squeeze as much moisture out of the thawed spinach as possible.
- Add the spinach and artichoke to the pan and cook for 1 minute, using your spatula to break up any hunks of spinach.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add the sour cream, feta and two-thirds of the mozzarella (about 1 cup). Stir until the ingredients are all mixed together. Season to taste with additional salt, some black pepper, and a few dashes of hot sauce (more if you want more of a kick).
- Transfer the mixture to a small casserole dish (about 1-quart capacity) and spread it evenly into the pan. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the contents. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 18 to 25 minutes.
- Let the dip cool for a few minutes (it’s crazy hot) and serve with your dipping vehicle of choice. This dip keeps well for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, covered.
Notes
Recipe roughly adapted from Cooking Light.
How to thaw frozen spinach: This is easiest in the microwave. Place the frozen spinach in a microwave-safe bowl and cook until it has defrosted, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 5 minutes. You could probably also let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Dairy free/vegan note: This is not a great candidate to be made dairy free. I recommend that you make the creamy avocado spinach dip in my cookbook instead!
Nutrition
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