World's Best Spinach and Artichoke Dip

By MaryEllen

This slimmed down version of your favorite dip is easy to make--and it's light enough for you to load up on it!

Ingredients

• Minutes to Prepare: 10
• Minutes to Cook: 5
• Number of Servings: 20
• Ingredients
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen spinach
• 1 bag (14 ounces) frozen artichokes
• 2 (8 ounce) packages light cream cheese
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 small onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 c Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 t red-pepper flakes
• 1/2 t oregano
• salt, pepper to taste
• nonstick cooking spray
• (Optional garnishes: minced red bell pepper or chopped tomatoes)
• Tips
• Nutritional Info
• Servings Per Recipe: 20
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 65.9
• Total Fat: 4.2 g
• Cholesterol: 13.3 mg
• Sodium: 164.2 mg
• Total Carbs: 3.8 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.9 g
• Protein: 3.8 g

Preparation

Step 1

Spray a medium pot with nonstick cooking spray. Add garlic and onions and cook over medium heat until they're translucent, about five minutes.
Put thawed and drained frozen spinach* in food processor and pulse a few times to chop. Add artichokes and pulse a few more times. The mixture should be chunky. Add spinach and artichokes to pot, along with cream cheese, oregano, red pepper and lemon juice. Heat until bubbly, then add Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Garnish with chopped red bell pepper or chopped tomatoes. (Calories not included.)


Fat-free cream cheese lacks the satisfying creaminess you crave in this recipe. Do not use it.
This can also become a decadent pasta sauce. (As a sauce, it makes 10 servings. You might need to thin it a bit with cooking water from the pasta.)
If you don't like artichokes, leave them out and add another bag of spinach.
Don't worry about getting the spinach completely dry. The extra moisture will help thin the dip.

Makes 20 servings of about 2 Tablespoons.
Serve with vegetables or baked chips.