This recipe was accidentally discovered when all we were craving was some delicious, melt-in-your-mouth, creamy spinach dip. I didn’t really think we had all the ingredients and decided to try and wing it anyway.

This is the wonderful product of that late-night craving…

Ingredients:

• 8 oz spinach (chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• olive oil (just enough to sautée)
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 tbls. crushed red pepper
• 2-1/2 c. romano or parmesan shredded cheese (you can try it with different cheeses to mix it up if you’d like)
• 3/4 c. plain greek yogurt (or sour cream if you don’t have this handy)
• 1/4 c milk (if you want it thinner add a little more)
•  1 can (8.5 oz) artichoke hearts
• salt (or Borsari) and pepper to taste

Sautée spinach and garlic in olive oil in a medium *cast iron pan until it turns dark green. I don’t add any other spices to sautée because the they will be added in the sauce. This way you don’t over-season the dish.

Combine cream cheese, crushed red pepper, 1-1/2 c. of the romano/parm cheese, greek yogurt, salt and pepper in a medium pan on medium heat until everything is melted together. About 5 minutes.

Pour cheese sauce mixture into a medium or large casserole dish. Stir in the sautéed spinach and artichokes. Top with remaining 1 c. romano/parm cheese.

Bake in pre-heated oven (375°) for 30-35 minutes or until cheese starts to brown on top.

Serve with chips, crackers, or my husband’s grilled bread (easy recipe below).

You can use whatever kind of bread you like the best, this shows a ciambella style bread we bought at the bakery. It has a hard exterior and a soft interior which makes it great for grilling.  I would use something similar for the desired results, but do what you like!

Cut the bread into chunks or slices. Pour olive oil into a bowl with some Italian seasonings (you can use a shaker from the store or make your own with rosemary, oregano, garlic salt and pepper). Dip the bread and lightly grill the bread until it browns. Serve with dip or by itself. Enjoy!