Friday, August 27, 2010

Florentine Artichoke Dip

• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 7x11 inch baking dish.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Mix in the artichoke hearts, spinach and Parmesan cheese. Season with garlic and lemon juice. Spread evenly into the prepared baking dish.

3. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, and let the dish bake uncovered for 5 more minutes, or until the surface is lightly browned.

To be perfectly honest, this dip tasted better than the ones I've eaten from restaurants.........seriously. You can definitely make some changes to it, but once you find your perfect combination, you'll be extremely satisfied. First alteration I made was halving the cream cheese. Second, I halfed the mayo and added a little sour cream. You will definitely want to do something with the artichokes if you don't purchase marinated ones, or even if you do. I chopped mine up some more after they were drained and seasoned them with two kinds of seasoned salt, onion and garlic powder, a little black pepper, a small dash of italian seasoning and a couple of drops of hot sauce.   I also mixed a little garlic powder with the spinach after it was drained. Didn't use garlic cloves however next time, I will use only a couple and they'll be diced. Make sure you grease your dish with a non-stick cooking spray as well as a little Country Crock and you'll have one of the best spinach dips you've ever tasted.

This recipe was outstanding! I took the advice of others and used only 1 block cr.cheese, 1 jar marinated artichokes(cut up),1 box spinach, 1/2 cup mayo, 1/3 cup sour cream and shredded parmesan cheese. Save a couple tsps of the artichoke marinade and add to dip, too. I serve it w/blue corn chips. Everyone has loved this dip and wanted the recipe. I even make it the day before my party and refrigerate. Then I bake it for about 40 mins if it's coming from the frig. This recipe is a winner for sure!! No fail!!

Wow--This recipe is fabulous. I followed the recipe mostly--but since I tend to like things with lots of garlic and a bit spicy-hot, I added an extra clove of garlic and some red pepper flakes. I was also pleased with how easy this recipe was to make; I had never made a dip like this and was extremely pleased at how simple it was. My only warnings are: (1) unless you are taking this to a large gathering, you may want to half it because it makes a ton of dip! (2) even though you may purchase chopped spinach--chop it again to avoid large pieces. The brand I bought said chopped on the package but there were many whole pieces included

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