This restaurant-style baked spinach artichoke dip is warm, cheesy and delicious. This spinach artichoke dip recipe has no mayo or cream cheese, so it's a little healthier than most. Serve with sturdy crackers, crostini or veggie chips for an appetizer everyone loves.
1/8-1/4teaspooncayenne pepperdepending on how much heat you like
½teaspoonkosher salt
¼teaspoonblack pepperfreshly ground
1 ¼cupsmilk
1 10-ounce packagefrozen spinachthawed and finely chopped
14ounce artichoke hearts drained, patted dry with a paper towel and chopped
½cupparmesan cheesegrated , divided
4ouncesfontina cheesecut into 1/4" dice, divided
SERVE WITH:
pita chips, crackers or toasted crostini
hot sauce or picante sauceoptional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°.
Place the thawed spinach into a clean kitchen towel. Gather up the ends and sides and hold the towel over the sink as you squeeze all the moisture out of the spinach. Set aside.
Melt the butter over medium high heat in a saucepan or skillet with higher sides. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and bubbly, about one minute.
Add the onion powder, cayenne pepper, kosher salt and black pepper - cook for one minute until very fragrant.
Add the milk a little at a time, stirring constantly until the sauce starts to bubble. It will thicken up as it boils. When the bechamel sauce is thick and creamy, remove the pan from heat.
Add the spinach and artichokes, most of the parmesan and fontina (reserve a handful of each to sprinkle on top of the dip before baking.)
Spray an ovenproof dish with nonstick vegetable spray. Transfer the dip to the dish and garnish with the reserved fontina and parmesan cheeses. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
Let the dip cool slightly before serving with crackers or toasts.
OPTIONAL GARNISH:
We like to add a dash of hot sauce when assembling the spinach artichoke toasts, but you can also top with picante sauce. At Houston's they also serve it with a dollop of sour cream.