Crazy-Good Spinach-Artichoke Dip

One of my favorite appetizers has got to be Spinach-Artichoke Dip. It's just so good. Even people who don't like spinach, love spinach-artichoke dip. Well, over the years, I have had a hard time finding a recipe that I really loved. Some weren't creamy enough... some were too creamy. I wanted a complex dip, but simple enough that it was easy to make. And this recipe is a little more than just throwing everything in a bowl and mixing it together, but that's okay because the extra steps are worth it. I finally developed this recipe and have tweaked it enough that I think that it's perfect for me. I've made it a few times and I always get really good feedback. What makes my Spinach-Artichoke Dip "crazy-good" is that I make a roux and then fold it into a cream cheese-mayo-sour cream-cheese mixture (most dips don't include a roux). You can either make this dip right before you want to eat it or make it a day or two before and just pop it into the oven when you need it. I typically serve it with tortilla chips, but I have served it with toasted bread as well! Enjoy :)

Crazy-Good Spinach-Artichoke Dip

For the Spinach-Artichoke Dip:

2 10oz Boxes of Frozen Spinach, Chopped & Strained of Liquid

1T Unsalted Butter

2T Onion, Minced

2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1T AP Flour

1t Garlic Salt

1t Chili Powder

¼t Cayenne

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

1 ¼C Whole Milk

1t Lemon Juice

1t Worcestershire

1 ¼C Parmesan Cheese, Grated

¼C Sour Cream

¼C Mayo

1 8oz Block of Cream Cheese, Softened

8oz Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

1 14oz Can of Artichoke Hearts, Squeezed Dry & Roughly Chopped (I used a little more)

1C Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a baking dish, and set it aside.   

2. For the Spinach Artichoke Dip: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and salt. Cook until the onion is soft, about 2 minutes. Add the flour & seasonings, and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice, Worcestershire, and 1C Parmesan until blended. And then return the pot to medium heat and add the spinach and cheddar until the cheese melts and the dip is heated through. In a mixing bowl, beat together the sour cream, mayo, artichokes, and cream cheese until well combined. Once combined, mix in the warm spinach mixture into the blended cream cheese mixture.   

3. Once combined, add the spinach dip into a buttered baking dish and cover the top with the shredded mozzarella cheese and the remaining Parmesan cheese, and then cover with tin foil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, remove the foil, and then bake for another 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbly (I like to broil mine a little to get that extra golden topping).

4. Serve immediately with chips or toasted bread.