This was a wonderful recipe. It has been a hit at several parties, I modified it using some advice from other reviews...
*saute fresh chopped garlic into butter (5-6 cloves)
* use double the spinach and artichoke hearts
* cut the creamcheese to 1.5 packages
* cut the sourcream to only 1 container
* use a mix of parmesean, asiago and romano
I also made pita chips to go along with it...just brush olive oil mixed with pepper and garilic salt onto cut up pita pieces (triangles) and bake at 350 until crisp.
Tastes better than what you get at resturaunts.
The missing ingredient: LEMON JUICE.
I agree with another reviewer that when you have to change the recipe a whole lot, it's not a five star recipe. But with the changes I made, I would give this SIX stars!
- I sauteed three garlic cloves and about two tablespoons of finely chopped onion with the butter
- I used twice the artichokes and chopped them pretty small (like 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch pieces)
- I used the full amount of cream cheese and sour cream-- half the amount looked disproportionate to all of those artichokes
- I used kosher salt. mmm.
- when I added the sour cream and cream cheese, I squeezed the juice of one small lemon into the mix.
I figured the blandness indicated the need for a bright flavor. I really think that lemon juice was just the thing. Ours was tangy, creamy, and delicious.
I've made this dip 5-6 times, my suggestions...crush 4 cloves of garlic and cook in the butter as it's melting, also, I use two cans of artichoke hearts, and I cut the cream cheese and sour cream in half, and finally, for a little more flavor, I add some ground pepper, a dash of cayenne pepper to taste, and a tablespoon of worcestershire....great tasting and easy...can even put a big batch in a crock pot on low....stays warm and delicous for hours.
Although I could feel myself getting fatter with every bite this was soooooooo yummy. I served it at a party and everyone loved it. A couple girls even asked for the recipe. A couple of notes: it does get cold and set up rather quickly so try to serve it in small quantities reserving the rest on the stove to keep warm. Also the recipe makes a LARGE batch; if you're not entertaining I suggest cutting it in half for munching at home.
This was truly wonderful! I did make a few changes however. I used a 16 oz. bag of frozen spinach only one container of sour cream and 2 Tablespoons of minced garlic in place of the garlic salt. It tasted just like the dip a caterer made for a party I went to. Make sure you buy 'chopped' spinach - mine was frozen leaves and I had to put it in a blender for a few seconds to chop it up.
Ok, I made this dip and took it to a BBQ as an appetizer. It was gone in no time and everybody wanted the recipe! I had read a lot of the previous reviews and so decided to make some modifications to the recipe: I used almost 16 oz of frozen spinach and just a little more than half the cream cheese and sour cream. I also sauteed 2 heaping Teaspoons of crushed garlic in the butter before adding the spinach and artichokes to the saucepan. I added salt and lots of pepper. The dip turned out nice and chunky and had a lot of flavor - can anybody say 'garlic'???. I served it warm with some sliced french bread. This will be my new favorite!
This is a great recipe. I absolutely hate mayonnaise so I'm excited that this doesn't have it. However when I made it the first time there was too much of the cream and not enough "filling". First I replaced the garlic salt with fresh sauteed minced/chopped garlic (which I cooked with the spinach) and salt (which I added after the dip was done). Second I cut the amount of cream cheese and sour cream in half (1 package of each) and replaced half of the Parmesan with Romano (totally your call we just like the mix) and it turned out BEAUTIFUL! AND... if you want to put it in the oven you can! This is a great starter recipe. Everyone who has tried this has loved it.
This was so creamy and rich. I didn't add all the sour cream called for, but it was perfect. I also used olive oil instead of butter, and added chopped garlic to saute with spinach and artichokes.
Wow! What a great recipe! I also only used one container of sour cream and cream cheese. I also made the recipe earlier in the day cooled it off then placed the saucepan in the refrigerator. When our guests arrived I just put the saucepan back onto the stove and warmed it up again. Rave reviews from everyone!
This SERIOUSLY lacks flavor, which appears to be the general consensus. Many rate the recipe with 4 or 5 stars but go on to tell you how they basically reinvented the entire recipe so that it's unrecognizable to the original. That, my friends, does not a four star recipe make. Don't be fooled by the high star rating! I even added six cloves of garlic, onion powder and loads of salt and pepper. This dip leaves you with that annoying "this needs something" phrase hanging on the end of every bite. I don't know what it needs. Maybe onion? I planned to make this for Christmas as I'm hosting 25 for dinner and wanted something to set out for guests while I'm cooking. I'm SO glad I tried this in advance rather than be embarrassed serving to guests for the first time. I won't be making it again. Three stars is probably generous -- early Christmas present I guess. I'll look for a better recipe with more flavor.
