I've always enjoyed a good spinach and artichoke dip. I say, "good," because sometimes it can fall short whether it's too watery or too bland. With that sa

Type: appaetizer

Cuisine: American

Keywords: spinach dip, spinach and artichoke dip, thanksgiving

Recipe Yield: 24 servings

Calories: 105

Preparation Time: 1H

Cooking Time: 30M

Total Time: 1H30M

Recipe Ingredients:

• 20 oz of frozen spinach
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 diced medium shallots
• 16 oz of cream cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup shredded/shaved Parmesan
• 12 oz canned artichoke hearts
• 1/2 teaspoon or more Sriracha
• Pinch of salt

Recipe Instructions: Open the frozen spinach and let it thaw at room temperature in a colander. This may take an hour or more. Alternatively, use the defrost setting on a microwave with the spinach in a microwave-safe bowl. Once thawed, squeeze the spinach to remove any excess water. You can squeeze the spinach by hand or by wrapping it in a clean dish towel or cheese cloth. Dice 2 medium size shallots. In a large sauce pot, melt a tablespoon of butter over medium heat and add the diced shallots and saute them until they start to get more translucent. With the spinach drained, place it in the pot and mix it. Roughly chop the cream cheese into cubes and add about 4 oz. to the spinach. Mix until the cream cheese has melted and repeat the process with the rest of the cream cheese until all 16 oz are mixed in with the spinach. Add the a 1/2 cup of heavy cream to the spinach mixture and stir frequently until the cream warms. Add a 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese and mix well until the cheese has someone melted.  Add about 12 oz. of canned/jarred artichoke hearts. Break up any really large pieces with your hands and stir the rest in with the spinach. Allowing the artichoke hearts to flake a bit rather than stay connected to their base helps with the consistency. Add a pinch of salt (maybe a 1/8 of a teaspoon) or more to taste and mix well. Last, but not least, add a 1/2 teaspoon of sriracha sauce. This won't make the dip hot, but the hint of tangy chili and vinegar really rounds out the flavors. Add more sriracha is you want it spicier, but be careful or the sriracha will overpower the whole dish. The spinach dip is ready to serve, but if you pre-made the dip ahead of time place it in an oven save dish in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. Then just reheat the spinach dip in the oven at around 325 or 350 degrees F. Top the spinach and artichoke dip with just a bit of shaved or shredded Parmesan when its hot.