Spinach, Crab, and Artichoke Dip

Think of this dip like this. We’re basically blending traditional crab dip with traditional spinach artichoke dip to create one super dip. And let me tell you, this dip is super! It’s rich and creamy and hearty and everything we need to help us ring in a brand new year.

So, let’s get to it!

Let’s start with the base of our dip. This is a creamy dip, so we’re using all of the main characters to achieve that: cream cheese, sour cream, and a little mayo. Next, to make this dip the ultimate in gooeyness, we need all the cheese. Spinach artichoke dip traditionally uses shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, so both of those are going into this mix. You’ll typically see shredded cheddar in a crab dip, so we’re throwing a little of that in here too!

Anyone taking note of that cheese count so far?

To season our dip, we’re keeping it really simple. We’re going to mix in some fresh garlic and some Old Bay, both which are classic to each respective dish individually. Then, we’ll mix all the creamy, cheesy goodness together; and get the bowl ready to add in our star players.

To our creamy mix, we need some spinach, some artichokes, and some lump crab meat. For the spinach, the easiest way to get the amount that we need is to go straight to the freezer section of the grocery store. Grab a box, thaw it in the microwave, squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the spinach, then add it straight to the bowl. For the artichokes, you’ll often see jars or cans of artichokes, and you’ll have the option of plain or marinated. We don’t want marinated artichokes for this, because we have enough flavor for this dip coming from the Old Bay. And, we don’t want those two flavor profiles to compete. So grab the plain artichokes, drain them well, chop them up, and throw those into the bowl too. Finally for the crab, fresh crab meat is better than canned if you have access to it, so grab that. Grab some lump blue crab meat, do a quick pick through to remove any shells, and the crab can go right into the bowl with the veggies.

Once we have everything nice and mixed together, we can transfer the mix to a baking dish, pop it in the oven, then wait a few minutes for the dip to become bubbly and slightly golden. And then, we eat!

To serve, you can use crackers. You can use pita chips. You can use toasted baguette. You can use more veggies. This dip is absolutely fantastic with everything! And since this is basically 2 dips in one, you get double the servings! That sounds like a win win situation to me!

This dip truly tastes like all the best parts of each individual dip while providing some new life to your appetizer table. It’s rich and creamy. It’s ooey and gooey. It has hints of the sea and hints of the earth all in one bite. This could very easily become the new tradition on my NYE table!

Ok, everyone! This is officially our last recipe of 2021. If you have anything you want to see here in 2022, please let me know! I’ll do my best to make it happen!

I hope you all enjoy! Be safe, have fun, happy New Year, and let’s eat!