This rich and creamy Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip recipe is easy, delicious and totally cheesy! Once mixed, this dip is baked until warm and melty in a bread bowl for the perfect football game appetizer.
©SpendWithPennies.com
I love spinach and artichoke dip! For as long as I can remember, it’s always been one of my go to dips either hot or cold.
I’ve served Spinach and Artichoke dip cold as a dip or as a Spinach Artichoke Cheese Ball, or even a Spinach Artichoke Dip Pasta Salad (yes, it’s a thing… ). And of course we’ve all had a warm spinach dip of some sort.
A rich cheesy base loaded with spinach and marinated chopped artichokes and then baked until everything is warm and melty. There are very few things better than digging into this warm gooey bowl and scooping up a mouthful on a piece of garlic toasted bread.
This recipe calls for marinated artichoke hearts. Marinated artichoke hearts are generally packed in jars (not cans) with oil and seasonings (while the canned artichokes are packed in water). As you would expect, the marinated artichokes in jars have much more flavor because of the olive oil and seasonings.
If you substitute canned artichokes in this recipe, it will still be delicious but you’ll want to make sure you add a little bit of extra salt, pepper and seasonings (your favorite spices such as Italian seasoning) along with small splash of olive oil.
You can most certainly mix the cream cheese, sour cream and mayo by hand but over the years I’ve learned that using a mixer really makes dips light and fluffy.
Once all of the ingredients are mixed together, this dip is microwaved for a few minutes to heat it. This cuts down on baking time and lets the center get hot without burning the bread (or making it too hard and crunchy). If you’d like to cook it without microwaving, skip the cheese topping and bake it covered for 15-20 minutes. Uncover, top with remaining cheese and bake as directed (and additional 25-30 minutes).
If you don’t want to cook this recipe in a bread bowl, a 2qt baking dish works just fine! (I do have to say though, the bread bowl is crazy good and you’ll likely have to arm wrestle someone for it once it’s empty)! Depending on the size of your loaf of bread, you might have a little bit of extra dip. If you do, you can heat it in the microwave and refill the bowl as your guests dig into it or cook it in a small dish (it won’t take very long to cook).
Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip (in a Bread Bowl)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic
- 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach defrosted
- 14 ounces marinated artichokes drained and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper finely diced
- ½ cup fresh shredded parmesan
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese divided
- 1 round loaf of sourdough bread
- olive oil
- garlic salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cut the top off the sourdough loaf and remove the center leaving a ¾″ shell.
- Cut the top and the insides of loaf into bite sized squares for dipping. Drizzle with olive oil and garlic salt to taste. Bake 5 minutes.
- Squeeze as much liquid out of the spinach as you can. Set aside.
- Beat cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise with a mixer on medium until fluffy.
- With a spoon, stir in garlic, spinach, artichokes, red pepper, parmesan cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Once combined, microwave for 5 minutes stirring after 3 minutes.
- Place cheese mixture into the bread bowl. Top with remaining ½ cup mozzarella.
- Bake uncovered 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and center is hot.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Used this for a Boxing Day gathering – I followed your general guidelines, appreciated the tips on using marinated versus jarred artichokes, I don’t own a microwave but it worked beautifully in the oven, and yes everyone enjoyed it as there were no leftovers (and I did spy a few people cleaning out the last bits). I did add a bit of hot pepper for extra punch. Cheers and thanks @freshguru
Thanks for sharing this recipe! Just made it this weekend for a birthday dinner and it was a HIT! Presentation was beautiful (wish I could post my pic on this comment, lol) Will definitely be making this again for any future events.
Only thing I did different was… I didn’t add the red bell peppers and instead of sourdough I used a round garlic tuscan bread.
Mmmm, delicious Von! So happy to hear it was a hit.
Very good, and if you happen to have leftovers, it good the next day warmed up.
So glad you enjoyed it and were lucky enough to have leftovers BJ!
I’m going to try this as soon as I get back home!
I hope you love it Jo!
Sounds great
Thanks Jenni!
Sub a kings Hawaiian bread bowl!
I love new recipes
Thanks Patricia!
I was a little bored with the tradional appetizers and began searching out new recipes.
This is without a doubt the most popular appetizer my family has all agreed upon.
It is not only easy to make but taste out of this world . Be the hit at your next get together put this out and get ready for the compliments !!
I am so glad you loved it Marcia! We agree, it’s the perfect appetizer!
Is there a way I can use this recipe as a slow cooker dish?
For sure you can, you’ll just need to skip the bread. The dip can be mixed and placed into a small slow cooker and heated until warm and melty. Serve the bread on the side!
I made it for a potluck and it tasted as good as it looked. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
I’m so happy you loved this recipe Glenda! You’re welcome!
Just made it. And it’s amazing!!!!!!
Yay! Happy to hear you love it Carly!
Absolutely wonderful!
Thank you Amber!
Fantastic recipe, as are all of uours. Thank you.
Wonderful! Serves a crowd!
Best I have ever had! Was so delicious!!!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Can you make the mixture ahead of time, and then bake right before the party came?
Absolutely. I would suggest keeping the filling in a bowl and heating it in the microwave and filling the bread just before serving. If you baked while the dip was cold the bread would likely be hard/overcooked by the time the dip heated. :)
Excellent recipe! As a snack, it got raves from my group of 10 adults. There’s about 1/3 of it left over. Wonder if I can freeze it??
I am so glad this was a hit with your group! I have never tried freezing it, there are never any leftovers here!
where can i find a round sourdough loaf?
Most grocery stores or bakeries will carry round loaves. But any shape will work!
Yummy and so delicious. I just made it & so spice. Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe.
If I want to take this to work, do I still bake it at the end? Can it be reheated in a microwave?