Ingredients:
14 oz chopped frozen spinach
1- 14 oz can Artichoke hearts
8 oz brick cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
Method:
1: Prepare frozen spinach according to package directions. Once cooled enough to handle, squeeze out excess liquid so that you have moist but not dripping spinach. Set aside.
2: Drain and rinse artichoke hearts. Rough chop into bite sized pieces. Combine with spinach. Set aside.
3: Place cream cheese in a microwave bowl and put into the microwave for 1 minute on high to soften.
4: Add sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic, Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and salt to cream cheese. Stir well.
5: Stir spinach and artichokes into the cream cheese mixture.
6: At this point you can either refrigerate until you are ready to serve and heat it later or heat, covered, in the microwave on high for 3 to 5 minutes until hot and bubbly.
Serve immediately with crusty grilled bread, crackers or tortilla chips.
Serves 3-4
Kitchen Notes:
*If your dip is coming from the refrigerator note that you may need to increase heating time by another 2-3 minutes, depending on your microwave and how cold the dip is to start.
*If you can find the pre-packaged frozen "steam in bag" spinach, use that instead. There is so little liquid that it makes draining the spinach so much easier.
*Don't use canned spinach for this one. I've tried it just to see how it would work and the end result was not so good.
*Fresh spinach could be used, but double the amount (i.e. use 28 oz fresh for each 14 oz frozen) because fresh spinach cooks down significantly. Chop the leaves before cooking and wilt in a small amount of olive oil until you get the doneness you prefer, cool and drain and proceed with the recipe as shown above.
*This dip tastes even better if made the day before serving. The flavors meld together and it's really wonderful. Just mix everything together, cover and refrigerate until you're ready to heat and serve.
*This dip also reheats well, so don't worry about leftovers!