Spinach Artichoke Dip

The husband and I like the artichoke dip in Italianni's. But when I searched for the recipe, I found out that it has mayonnaise!! Eeep! I don't like mayo. At all. So the quest for no-mayo-dip started last week and good thing I found one, and it's easy to make!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
• Half a bag of spinach
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 bottle artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
• 1 Tbsp butter (additional)
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 cup milk (more if needed)
• 1 package (8oz) cream cheese
• 2/3 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• extra mozzarella and cheddar for topping

Method:

1. In a skillet, melt butter. Saute garlic and add spinach. Cook until the spinach leaves wilt. Remove from heat and squeeze out the juice. Set aside spinach and garlic.

2. In the same skillet, add in the artichokes and cook over medium high heat for several minutes. Remove them and let them cool. Once cool, chop the artichokes and spinach together. For me, I used my immersion blender and pulsed them for a couple of seconds.

3. In the same skillet or a different pot, melt butter and whisk in flour until it makes a roux then pour in milk. Stir and cook until slightly thickened; add more milk if it becomes too thick.

4. Add the cheeses and season to taste. Mix in the artichokes and spinach to the sauce. Stir to combine.

5. Pour into buttered baking dish. Top with extra grated cheese and bake at 375 for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with bread or crackers.


Source: http://www.thepioneerwoman.com