Hot Mascarpone Spinach Artichoke Dip
Need a warm and cheese appetizer to bring everyone into the kitchen before a meal? This easy cheesy and addictive Hot Mascarpone Spinach Artichoke Dip will do the trick! You can prep it a day ahead of time and bake just before serving to save time on busy days.
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce can marinated artichoke hearts drained
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese or mascarpone cheese
- 3 cups fresh spinach cooked liquid strained
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- 1 8-ounce container sour cream or creme fraiche
- ¾ cup shredded parmigiano cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes adjust to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 1 ½ quart baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Steam or sauté the spinach until wilted. Let cool, then wring out all the excess water.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat sauté artichokes and onion in olive oil. Cook for 3-5 minutes until onions and artichokes are slightly brown. Add garlic and cooked spinach, cooking for 1 minute longer.
- Add mascarpone cheese to the skillet, stirring until melted. Remove from heat. Pour into a medium-size mixing bowl.
- To the bowl add, 1 cup mozzarella, creme fraiche, parmigiano, salt, herbs and pepper flakes. Mix until combined.
- Pour into baking dish and sprinkle top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and golden.
- Serve warm with bread, pita chips, crackers, tortilla chips or veggies for dipping. Mangia! (Eat!)
Notes
- The most important part of making this recipe is ensuring all the water is removed from your cooked spinach. You can squeeze the spinach between your fingers to remove the liquid, press it in a potato ricer, or wrap it in a few layers of paper towels to wring out all the liquid.
- I prefer to use freshly cooked spinach for this dip. You can use frozen spinach in a pinch, but frozen spinach has a stringier texture.
- This dip tastes best with jarred marinated hearts, although canned artichokes packed in water or frozen artichokes can also be used.
- Use full-fat dairy ingredients. I recommend using full-fat cheeses in this recipe. It is hard to achieve a creamy texture with all the additional ingredients they add in low-fat cheese products.
Nutrition
Calories: 525kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 1887mg | Potassium: 464mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3663IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 806mg | Iron: 2mg
