Spinach Artichoke Dip

Whenever the middle of January comes around, I immediately begin to think about the big game: SUPER BOWL. The commercials, the players, but most importantly, the appetizers. Super Bowl Sunday is never about the actual game, in my humble opinion. When I gather with friends for super bowl, we are mostly interested in the snacks. A bevy of appetizers waiting for us from kickoff to the final few moments. My favorite kind of appetizers for game day include pigs in a blanket, mozzarella sticks, potato skins, and of course, a heaping bowl of spinach dip. This homemade spinach dip will leave you saying "NO WAY this was homemade!" You won't want to buy store-bought ever again. Unlike chain restaurant-style spin dip, this spinach dip is minimally cheesy or gooey, but it is exactly what you'd expect a traditional dip to be. Get your taste buds ready, because this recipe is a real touchdown (see what I did there? 😎).

Classic spinach dip has roots from America ever since the 1950s, where sitting in front of the television at dinner time was a common practice. Typical spinach dip recipes call for frozen spinach, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, parmesan, and other ingredients. This particular dip leaves out the mayo, and adds in sautéed garlic and shallot to intensify the flavors and bring some aromatics into the picture. What I REALLY love about this spinach artichoke dip recipe is that there is only a need for one large skillet. Yep, that's it. Why dirty a million pans just for one dip? Another fun tip is we don't bake this version. This appetizers doesn't need a coating of crisp cheese, as it's delicious on its own. When I made this recipe a few days ago, I had prepared some fresh vegetables to go along with the dip, a traditional crudité if you will. I went through just about half of the veggies because I could NOT stop eating this spinach dip. When I say it's good, I mean it's gooooood.

Spinach Artichoke Dip Ingredients:

• Chopped frozen spinach: The star of the show. I let my bag of frozen spinach thaw the day before
• Artichoke hearts: The second star, I ended up using way less than I anticipated.
• Shallot: Sautéed shallot adds a beautiful flavor to the overall dish, and man does it smell good when cooking.
• Garlic: Who doesn't love sautéed garlic? Adding sautéed garlic to this dish gives another layer of flavor.
• Sour Cream: One of the two ingredients to help make the dish creamy and rich.
• Parmesan:Helps thicken the dip and add more flavor.
• Cream cheese: Adds to the thickness and richness of the dip.
• Salt
• Pepper

Spinach Artichoke Dip Tips:

• Pair with virtually anything: veggies, tortilla chips, chicken fingers, pita chips, crostini, french bread, anything works here.
• Serve in a bread bowl for the ultimate game day presentation, and use some of the bread ripped out from the bowl to place around it as a dipping vessel.
• Have leftover? Use a spread for a breakfast sandwich or in a veggie-filled panini. TRUSSSST ME.

Who's ready for some snacks - I mean football?! Super Bowl will always be one of my favorite events, and it's really not just the food... well, it's a lot of it. I love having a reason to gather with others and enjoy their company, and hopefully this is a year we can do that safely. I hope you enjoy this appetizer as much as I do.