Slow Cooker Spinach & Artichoke Dip

An easy, everyone-loves-it version of your favorite bar food

We’ve all eaten it at bars, restaurants, and game day gatherings. It’s graced American menus for decades. The best ones have you considering a Public Display of Cheese—face in bowl, licking for scraps. I wanted to find out the origin story for spinach artichoke dip but didn’t read anything conclusive. One theory is that big dairy product brands pushed hard for its popularity in the 1950’s to take advantage of Americans eating in front of their new TVs. Well, ok then. I for one am happy to embrace our Corporate Dairy Overlords for pretty much every party I attend or host. There’s a reason this creamy, salty, tangy dip remains a staple: it’s delicious. I’ve been tweaking my recipe for years to make a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. It’s hard to mess up and easy to customize. I make spinach artichoke dip in the slow cooker so it’s easy to transport and keep warm all night for second, third, and fourth helpings.

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You will need:

• 1 (14 oz) can of artichoke hearts in brine

  • If you want to take the time to break down fresh artichokes for this dip, I tip my hat to you. Please tell me about it.

• 3 c fresh spinach, packed

  • I would recommend fresh spinach over frozen. It’s crisper, has more flavor, and is not as laborious to prep as say, fresh artichokes

• 2-3 shallots

  • You can use any other type of onion you like, but I like shallots best for this recipe because the taste is more subtle. If you like more of a bite, go for about 1/3 c chopped white onion

• 4-5 cloves garlic

• 1/2 c shredded parmesan

• 1/2 c shredded mozzarella

  • Don’t use fresh mozzarella for this. Use the stuff you find shredded in a bag, because it melts better. Sorry, fresh mozzarella. I still love you so much.

• 1 c plain Greek yogurt

  • You can also use sour cream. I personally like the taste of Greek yogurt better in this dip

• 8 oz cream cheese (1 block)

• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

• 1/2 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste

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First, take the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, parmesan, and mozzarella out of the fridge and let them all warm up to room temperature. Mixing will be much easier this way. Next, chop up the spinach. Rinse and pat dry or dry in a salad spinner. Now for the artichokes. Drain the liquid from the can. If you have a food processor, pulse the artichokes until they are finely chopped up. You can also do this by hand, but know it will get messy. Next, mince the garlic and dice the shallots. This can be done in a food processor or by hand.

Now, combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, including salt and pepper. Scrape the mixture into the slow cooker and set it on low for about 2 hours, or high for one hour. Stir occasionally to make sure the ingredients are well combined as the cheese melts. When the spinach is wilted and cooked and the cheese is melty and bubbly, taste. Add more salt and/or pepper if needed. Serve with tortilla chips or crostini. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it went! How did you make it your own?