Any-greens and artichoke dip

An all-too-familiar scenario: That party you forgot about is tonight and guess what? It’s a potluck. Now you’re scrambling to figure out what to make and frantically searching the contents of your kitchen to find something to throw together. Surely there’s a rule that every good party must have at least one good dip. 

This one is a plant-based riff on a classic spinach-artichoke dip using nondairy cream cheese and a bunch of other stuff you likely already have lying around, like frozen spinach, canned artichokes, and our favorite faux-cheesy friend, nutritional yeast. It’s infinitely adaptable in terms of seasoning (we like to add hot sauce). It’s also a great thing to whip up with whatever extra greens are lying around, not just spinach. We know there’s Team Hot and Team Cold when it comes to this classic dip, and this treat works both ways. This dip + a bag of pita chips will get it done every single time. 

Any-Greens and Artichoke Dip

Yield: About 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil or plant-based butter
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 10 ounces baby spinach, or frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
• 1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
• 16 ounces plant-based cream cheese, well softened
• ¼ cup plant-based sour cream
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest 
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. Sauté the garlic until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Add the chopped spinach and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes more, or until the excess water from the greens is mostly evaporated. Remove from heat.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and stir in the spinach mixture.
4. Transfer the mixture to a greased 1-quart oven-safe dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
5. Store leftovers (lol), covered, in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Notes and Substitutions:

• You can assemble this dip three days ahead of time. Store it, unbaked and covered, in the fridge until ready to warm it up. 
• No frozen spinach? Any equal amount of fresh or frozen greens can be used, like kale, collard greens, or Swiss chard. 
• If you prefer your spin-dip cold, just skip steps 1 and 4. 
• We used Miyoko’s plant-based cream cheese, which we love for its tang, and Forager dairy-free sour, which, to us, tastes exactly like Daisy.