Spinach Artichoke Dip

A big happy birthday to my friend Elizabeth! We threw her a surprise birthday party and I made a batch of my spinach artichoke dip especially for her, since I believe it's her favorite of my vast array of dips thus far. :) I use a good amount of seasoning and garlic powder in this recipe - I hate bland spinach artichoke dips, so adjust the seasoning as you see fit. This recipe makes a BIG batch of dip, enough for a party, so you may want to halve it for a smaller crowd.

SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

INGREDIENTS:

2 8oz packages light cream cheese, softened
16 oz light sour cream
1 1/2 cups light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
10 shakes of your favorite hot sauce
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained
1 10oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
3 cups shredded Italian cheese


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise together until thoroughly combined. Stir in garlic powder, salt, pepper, dried basil and hot sauce. Mix in artichoke hearts, spinach, and 2 cups of the shredded Italian cheese - reserve remaining 1 cup of cheese.

2. Spread dip evenly into deep 9x13 baking dish and top with remaining 1 cup of shredded Italian cheese. Cover tightly with foil. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove foil cover, switch oven to broil, and cook additional 3-5 minutes until top is golden brown. Serve with tortilla chips or bread.