One mixing bowl full of cheesy artichokey goodness, poured into a dish and baked: this is the perfect easy appetizer for a night in! Or in our case, maybe dinner after a full day in the kitchen, and there are no regrets. Spinach artichoke dip is one of those dishes that shows up on every appetizer menu but you can make it better & healthier at home.
More than anything this makes me so nostalgic for wine nights when I lived with my best friends. Set this whole big dish down with a bowl of tortilla chips, pop open a couple bottles of wine, and put on a movie that we’ll talk the whole way through. We’ll eat the entire thing over a few hours and call it a meal and be completely satisfied.
We began cooking for the wedding this weekend and I am beyond excited – less than four weeks away! The five-day menu is all of our favorite foods, some fancy but mostly not, picked for being easy to prep ahead of time. We’re starting with things like pork green chile and marinara that are just as good after being frozen.
But here’s where I completely lost it… we have a standard apartment fridge/freezer that is always packed full. Even if I did have the self-restraint to completely empty it out, it’s definitely not big enough to prep five days’ worth of food for a dozen people.
So I maybe went on craigslist and bought a little chest freezer for wedding food. Whoops.
Too far? Mmmmm probably, yeah. But also totally awesome and already packed a third full, and if this is where I lose it during wedding cooking, we’re doing okay.
After hours of the stovetop + oven + crockpot all bubbling at once with every possible kitchen surface covered with ingredients and chopping boards… we needed this. Alongside a skillet of mussels and fresh baguette slices, this is the simplest no-fuss dinner that’s rewardingly comforting.
Lighter Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz. fat-free cream cheese softened
- ½ cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
- ¾ cup parmesan grated
- ½ cup mozzarella shredded
- 14 oz. artichoke hearts diced
- 10 oz. frozen spinach thawed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 t. salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Mix all ingredients together and scoop into an 8”x8” baking dish.
- Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes, until edges are bubbling. Serve hot.
One can never have too many heArtichokes….Trader Joe has the best canned ones for the money, and I always add more than called for. Yum. A wedding freezer is perfect for you and Kirk!! oh, and guests.