HANDS DOWN The BEST Spinach Artichoke Dip EVER!

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My friend makes this Spinach Artichoke dip quite often when we go over their house.  He has made it so often that he doesn’t have a recipe, it’s just in his head.

I’ve never considered myself a Spinach and Artichoke dip ‘fan’, per se, specifically the artichoke portion of it … but as I sat at their kitchen island and watched him make it, I knew I had to try it.

I watched and memorized (or so I thought) what he was doing.  It was amazingly good! I think I ate most of it.  I had to consciously stop myself by walking away.

I came up with the bright idea of making this Spinach and Artichoke Dip the next time friends came over.  I tried to recall what he did, it wasn’t that hard.  I grabbed all the ingredients and hit the kitchen.

Guess what happened?  Failure.

So I tried unsuccessfully time and time again, until I finally gave up last summer.

You know when something is so good it just kind of lingers in your mind?  That’s what this dip did to me.  So I decided to refer to my faithful standby, The Food Network.   I studied the ingredients from …. oh about 15 recipes until I landed on one from Emeril Lagasse.

This was it!   And I went in …. FULL steam ahead ……

OH MY GOODNESS!

Now I will tell you before hand, what makes Emerils Spinach and Artichoke Dip EXTRAORDINARILY better than others is the BLEND of cheeses.   If you choose to omit one, cut back on one, add another one, it will NOT be the same.

His original recipe calls for bacon, and as someone who is trying to avoid cured, processed meats, I decided to omit it.  The original recipe calls for 4 strips, cooked, for those of you who would like to include it.  I, however, do not like the taste of bacon in this dip specifically.

I hope you enjoy it and please don’t forget to leave us a comment!  🙂

HANDS DOWN The BEST Spinach Artichoke Dip EVER!

• Author: Debi

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Organic Butter, plus more for the pan
• 1 (10-ounce) Pkg. Fresh Organic Spinach (stems removed)
• 1/2 Cup Organic Onion, diced small
• 1 Tablespoon Organic Garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1/8 Cup White Whole Wheat Flour (I use Bob Mills)
• 1/2 Cup Organic Whole Milk
• 1/2 Cup Organic Heavy Cream
• 1 teaspoon Freshly Squeezed Organic Lemon Juice
• 1/2 Cup Brie Cheese, cut in cubes
• 1/2 Cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
• 1/2 (6 1/2-ounce) Jar Marinated Artichoke Hearts, drained and chopped
• 1/8 Cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated (Do NOT use canned)
• Assorted chips (pita chips, tortilla chips, bagel chips) or sliced baguette, for dipping

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Grease a small dish lightly with butter
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil
4. Meanwhile, roughly chop up the spinach after you have removed the stems and once the water comes to a boil, add the spinach and cook until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes
5. Strain the spinach in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Put on paper towels or squeeze to remove the excess water. Set aside
6. In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally for a few minutes
7. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute
8. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, to make a light roux, about 1-2 minutes
9. Add the milk and cream in a steady SLOW stream, and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes
10. Add the cooked spinach and lemon juice, and stir to incorporate
11. Add the Brie, Monterey Jack, artichoke hearts and stir well
12. Remove from the heat and pour into the prepared dish
13. Top with the Parmesan and bake until bubbly, about 10 minutes
14. Remove from the oven and serve hot with chips or baguette slices.

Notes

© HappilyUnprocessed. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words AND link back to this post

Recipe Adapted from:  Emeril Lagasse, Food Network
I used all organic ingredients when making this recipe, and hope you do too!  🙂