There's something special about hot cheesy dips in the autumn and winter. Particularly on Game Day.

This Spinach Artichoke Dip combines three cheeses, plus garlic and basil and of course spinach and artichokes for a gooey delight that will have your guests begging for the recipe.

Photo byThat Recipe

You can easily prep this dip ahead of time and keep it in the fridge to pop in the oven just as guests are arriving. 25- 30 minutes later it is ready to be devoured.

Ingredients and Substitutions for Spinach Artichoke Dip

Nothing exotic or hard to find. Except the artichokes if you don't buy them regularly. They are in the canned vegetable aisle. Technically you can use artichoke quarters or hearts. The quarters will have tender leaves along with the hearts.

• olive oil (or favorite cooking oil)
• minced garlic cloves
• fresh spinach (frozen can be used instead, initial wilting time can be skipped)
• fresh basil (or other fresh herb of choice)
• salt and pepper
• jar of artichokes packed in water
• sour cream
• cream cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Mozzarella cheese (or other good melting cheese like cheddar, Gruyere, Gouda, Monterey Jack)

What to serve with Warm Spinach Artichoke Dip

This Warm Spinach Artichoke Dip goes great with hearty chips like tortilla or pita chips.

You can also serve it in a bread bowl using the extra bread for dipping. Cut a large circle around the top medium round sourdough boule, stopping about a half inch from the sides and bottom. Scoop out the center and cut into cubes for dipping once the dip is added.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
• 4-5 cloves garlic (minced)
• 5 cups fresh spinach (long stems removed and roughly chopped)
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped)
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 14.5 ounce jar artichokes (packed in water, drained and chopped)
• ⅓ cup sour cream
• 8 ounce cream cheese (softened)
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
• ¾ cup Mozzarella cheese (divided use)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a medium baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.
• Heat remaining olive oil and minced garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped spinach and basil and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach wilts, about 4-5 minutes.
• Transfer wilted spinach mixture to a large bowl and add chopped artichokes, sour cream, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and ½ cup Mozzarella cheese. Stir until combined, season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Transfer spinach-artichoke mixture to prepared baking dish and spread into a uniform layer. Top with remaining Mozzarella cheese and place in pre-heated oven until heated through and cheese on top starts to turn golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
• Remove from oven and serve immediately with tortilla chips or pour into a bread bowl with the removed bread cut into cubes on the side for dipping.