I love a good appetizer, especially for football season.  Give me all the dips and finger foods instead of a main course!  Spinach and Artichoke dip is a classic at any get together.  I love making it in a bread ring that is baked in the oven, but I don’t always have time to wait for the frozen rolls to defrost and rise, so I have created a modified version of this dip that can just be baked in the oven and served with chips, crackers, or your favorite artisan bread.

This Spinach Artichoke Dip is super creamy because it uses a combination of cream cheese, mayo and sour cream.  The three cheeses round out the flavor and give it extra gooiness!  Plus all the herbs compliment the spinach and artichoke just perfectly.  You are going to love having this recipe for all your family and friends get togethers!

A couple of tips for this recipe:

• The red pepper flakes give this dip a little spicy kick.  If you don’t like spicy or red pepper flakes, you can just leave them out!  If you want it spicier, add more!
• Any time I use shredded mozzarella cheese in a recipe, I use the Kraft Creamy Melt Shredded Mozzarella.  Trust me, it makes a huge difference compared to other shredded mozzarella cheeses!

Ingredients:

• 10oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• 14oz can of artichokes, well drained and chopped
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (not miracle whip)
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2 tsp minced garlic (OR 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9-10 inch pie pan or square dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
2. Make sure you have squeezed as much water as possible out of the spinach and drained as much liquid as you can off of the artichokes. Chop them both up finely and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, sharp cheese, parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese, garlic, dried parsley, onion powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and mix with a hand mixer until well combined. Stir in the chopped spinach and artichokes. 
4. Scrape the dip to your prepared pan, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  
5. Remove from oven and serve immediately with tortilla chips, crackers, or your favorite Artisan bread!  (I like to garnish mine with some fresh parsley.)