Classic Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip (Crowd-Pleaser!)
Make delicious, Classic Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip! This easy recipe features a creamy, cheesy blend of spinach, artichoke hearts, Parmesan, and mozzarella, baked until bubbly. Perfect party appetizer!
Ingredients
(Original recipe yields 20 servings – likely small appetizer portions)
Dip:
- ▢ 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- ▢ 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ▢ 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- ▢ 1 garlic clove, minced
- ▢ 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- ▢ ⅛ teaspoon celery salt
- ▢ 1 can (14 ounces) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped
- ▢ 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed very dry
- ▢ 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (for topping)
For Serving:
- ▢ Assorted crackers, pita chips, tortilla chips, or vegetable sticks
Instructions
1. Prepare Oven and Baking Dish:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate or a similar-sized oven-safe baking dish (e.g., an 8×8 inch square dish). Set aside.
2. Combine Creamy Base Ingredients:
- Ensure your cream cheese is fully softened to room temperature for easy mixing.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, minced garlic, dried basil, garlic salt, pepper, and celery salt.
- Mix these ingredients together well with a sturdy spoon, spatula, or an electric mixer on low speed until everything is thoroughly combined and the mixture is smooth and creamy.
3. Stir in Artichokes and Spinach:
- Prepare your artichoke hearts: Rinse them well, drain thoroughly, and coarsely chop them.
- Prepare your spinach: If using frozen chopped spinach, ensure it is completely thawed. Then, place the thawed spinach in a clean kitchen towel or several layers of paper towels and squeeze out as much excess liquid as humanly possible. This step is crucial to prevent a watery dip. You should have about 1/2 cup of tightly packed, dry spinach.
- Add the chopped artichoke hearts and the squeezed-dry chopped spinach to the cream cheese mixture in the bowl.
- Stir gently but thoroughly until the artichokes and spinach are evenly distributed throughout the creamy base.
4. Assemble and Bake:
- Transfer the prepared spinach artichoke dip mixture to the greased 9-inch pie plate (or baking dish).
- Spread the mixture into an even layer using your spatula.
- Sprinkle the ¼ cup of shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top of the dip.
- Place the dish in the preheated oven. Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes.
- The dip is ready when it is hot all the way through, bubbly around the edges, and the mozzarella topping is melted and lightly golden brown.
5. Serve:
- Carefully remove the hot dip from the oven.
- Let it cool for a few minutes before serving, as it will be very hot.
- Serve the warm Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip with assorted crackers, pita chips, tortilla chips, crusty bread slices, or fresh vegetable sticks (like carrots, celery, bell peppers) for dipping. Enjoy!