Spinach Artichoke Dip

A couple years back, I made a spinach artichoke dip for a party the hubby and I went to. The hubby loved it and so did everyone else. Unfortunately, the only thing I could remember about it was that it wasn't healthy at all!

When the hubby asked me to make it again for our Superbowl party, I was stumped. I knew I couldn't make it the same way (I had no idea what recipe I had used). We've been working hard to change up the way we eat lately. Not that we are dieting; we are just trying to be more healthy all around. As I was researching recipes on the Internet, I couldn't find one I like or felt wasn't too unhealthy.

Unfortunately, time was running away from me that Sunday. We had people showing up in 30 minutes and other than buying some cream cheese, I hadn't given the dip a second thought. Luckily, we always have spinach and cheese in the drawer. I threw a bunch of things together and this is what we ended up with. I didn't pre-cook my spinach. No one seemed to notice. If you would prefer to use frozen spinach, make sure it is very well drained. Squeeze out as much water as you can before using!!

I'm assuming it was delicious as I had to quickly snap a picture of the hubby's plate in order to get something to put on the blog. I apologize for the quality of the picture!

SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

5 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 wedges Laughing Cow Light Swiss, softened
5 tablespoons grated Parmesan
8 oz 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/4-1/3 cup skim milk
1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped **see note at end
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, laughing cow cheese, grated Parmesan, garlic and Italian Seasoning. Add in 1/4 cup milk. Stir in spinach and artichoke hearts. If the mixture feels too thick, add the remaining milk, a tablespoon at a time.

Pour mixture into a 1.25 quart ceramic baking dish (I used the small one in this set). Sprinkle grated mozzarella on the top. Cover with tin foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve with fresh veggies or gf crackers for the gluten-free; sliced baguette or pita for the non-gf.

**NOTE:
If using frozen artichoke hearts; thaw, drain and chop. If using canned artichoke hearts, rinse some of the oil off first, before draining and chopping.