I’ve mentioned that I’m not much of a salad girl, so I find other ways to get my greens.  And what better way to eat them than when they’re smothered in melted cheese?

This spinach artichoke dip recipe might not be the healthiest or lowest-calorie one on my blog, but it’s still packed with green veggies, fiber, calcium, protein, and other nutrients.  It’s one of my favorite comfort foods in the winter, and makes a great party appetizer.

The recipe calls for a block of aged Irish cheddar, because block cheese doesn’t contain the added preservatives of pre-shredded cheese.  Irish cheeses like the Kerrygold brand are made from the milk of grass-fed cows, which results in higher levels of nutritional omega-3 fats, beta carotene and conjugated linoleic acid.  And aged cheese just tastes damn good.

Ricotta cheese’s creamy texture is somewhat similar to cream cheese, a common ingredient in spinach dip, but it’s lower in fat and higher in protein.  I’m using Greek yogurt in place of sour cream in this recipe, as it’s also lower in fat and higher in protein.  Plus, since I use Greek yogurt in many of my smoothies, I’ve usually got a big tub in my fridge.

I probably don’t have to tout the health benefits of spinach and artichokes, as all vegetables are loaded with nutritional value.  This dip is just a yummy way to get your veggies on a chilly day.

SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP RECIPE

Ingredients

• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed

• 12 oz jar artichoke hearts

• ½ cup Ricotta cheese

• ¾ cup full fat Greek yogurt

• 8 oz block of aged Irish cheddar

• 1 tsp sea salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Thaw the spinach thoroughly.  If I’m in a hurry I’ll microwave it in a bowl on high for 2 minutes, but your microwave may have a defrost setting that you like to use.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3. Rinse and drain the artichokes, chop the tops off and slice in half.

4. Add sliced artichokes and thawed spinach to a bowl.  Press the spinach and artichokes with paper towels to remove as much water as possible.  This is an important step to avoid watery dip, so I use up several paper towels to absorb water from the vegetables.

5. Grate ¾ of the block of cheddar into the bowl with the spinach and artichokes.

6. Add the Ricotta cheese, Greek yogurt, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to the bowl and mix until well-combined.

7. Add the ingredients from the bowl to a baking dish, then grate the remaining ¼ block of cheddar on top of the dip.

8. Bake 18-20 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned.

Serve warm with sliced vegetables, pita chips or tortilla chips. Enjoy!

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