baked artichoke dip

First of all, let me say that I am normally not a big dip person. I’m somewhat indifferent to them. Just give me a slab of cheese instead and call it a day. But for the holiday season, I wanted to bring an appetizer that is party-friendly and different.

I found this artichoke dip recipe on the Whole Food’s website and it was amazing. Seriously. The aroma that fills the kitchen as you bake it is enough to make you devour it right there out of the oven. That brown crust that forms on the edges is the best part, in my opinion :)

The recipe calls for mayo which I am not a huge fan of. Dips can be overly mayo-fied which is why I tend to stay away from them. But this dip combines mayo with cream cheese & sour cream. Plus, this recipe gave me the chance to use my new food processor. I will admit, I had a ton of fun using it…

Make sure you use a good jar of artichokes that have already been marinated so your dip has that extra artichoke flavor. I dipped some of my favorite wheat thins into this dip and was in serious heaven. But I imagine a baguette or some warm rosemary bread would be delicious with this dip too. Enjoy!

Baked Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 package (8 ounce) reduced fat (Neufchatel) cream cheese
• 1/2 cup light canola or safflower mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup low fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 cloves garlic, or to taste
• 3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 jar (12 ounce) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
• 1 small onion, diced

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a food processor, place the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, Parmesan cheese and garlic. Purée until all ingredients are combined. Add mozzarella cheese, black pepper and cayenne, pulsing just until combined. Add artichoke hearts and pulse again just until combined. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in the onion.

Bake in a 9-inch square glass baking dish for 40 to 45 minutes, until bubbly and browned. Serve immediately.