The presence of spinach in this dip is misleading to so many people: some use it as a “healthy” excuse to hoover up a warm, cheesy bowl of dip while watching the game at their favorite neighborhood bar, while others avoid it like the plague because spinach = vegetables, and nary a veg shall cross their lips. Let me set the record straight: no, it ain’t healthy at all, and no, it doesn’t taste like healthy vegetables at all. But it is creamy, gooey, and worth every slurp. So what are you waiting for?
YIELD: enough for 6 people to stuff their faces
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
DIFFICULTY: 2
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: oven-safe casserole dish, fine-mesh strainer
1 head garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (14-ounce) can water-packed artichoke hearts
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1-3/4 ounces) coarsely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Provolone cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup whole or reduced-fat milk
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Slice the tip of the garlic head off the bulb so the tops of the cloves are just barely exposed. Place the cut head of garlic on a piece of foil, drizzle with the olive oil, and seal into a foil packet.
Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until the garlic is very soft and just turning golden brown. Carefully peel open the foil (watch out—steam may escape) and let cool to room temperature.
Drain the thawed spinach in a fine-mesh strainer, pressing to make sure most of the water is squeezed out. Transfer the spinach to a large mixing bowl.
Drain the artichokes and chop coarsely. Add to the spinach in the bowl. Over the bowl, squeeze the cooled head of garlic from its base: the softened, roasted cloves will pop out of their skins into the bowl. Some will be so soft they’ll have puréed within their skins; squeeze well to get the majority of the purée out.
Stir the cream cheese, Pecorino and Provolone cheeses, and salt into the spinach-artichoke-garlic mixture until all ingredients are well blended. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk and check to see if the consistency is creamy enough for you; add the rest of the milk a tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired creaminess.
Transfer the mixture to an oven-safe casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes, until the dip is bubbling and golden brown at the edges. Serve warm with chips or toasted baguette slices for dipping.
Store the dip in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.