{football friday} lightened spinach-artichoke dip
Friday, November 2, 2012 at 11:53AM
I recently received a copy of Cooking Light's brand new New Way to Cook cookbook.
Love. It.
I mean... if you like Cooking Light Magazine, which I do... you'll love this book. It's a great blend of familiar dishes you expect in an encyclopedia covering how to do healthier the tasty way, but it's also got that Cooking Light edge of new flavor combos and culinary explorations. I really enjoyed this book.
One of the recipes that first caught my eye was a version of spinach-artichoke dip. I've seen this dip "lightened" many times with moderate success, but this one was different. Rather than using versions of "light" sour cream, "light" cream cheese, etc., it used white beans for the base of the dip, but stayed true to the yum appeal of this dish by sticking with a little bit of cheese over the top.
I made a few swaps to their recipe [click here for the original version] based on what I typically have on hand.
It turned out great! I also tested it in a slow-cooker with great success. If you're planning on a day full of football noshing this weekend, go ahead and add this one to your menu.
{lightened} Spinach-Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I used Dukes)
- 1/4 cup Greek-style yogurt (I used Cabot)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (15-ounce) can organic soybeans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (14-ounce) can baby artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
- 1 (9-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Italian cheese blend or part-skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Place Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, Greek-stye yogurt, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, red pepper, minced garlic, and soy beans in a food processor, and process until smooth. Spoon into a medium bowl. Stir in the artichokes and spinach.
3. Spoon mixture into baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly and brown.
{Alternatively, spinach mixture may be placed in a slow-cooker and held for up to 4 hours. Sprinkle shredded cheese over mixture 15 minutes prior to serving}
