Holiday Spinach Dip

In honor of Super Bowl Sunday (a game I'm only watching because the Black Eyed Peas are doing the half time show this year - love them!!), I am posting my Holiday Spinach Dip!  I make this sometimes for holiday parties.  It's actually a riff of the recipe on the back of the vegetable soup mix that I use.  This is a pretty traditional dip here in the South.  It graces the holiday dinner (or snack) table in countless homes and is a welcome addition to any party spread... at least here in Mississippi.  I know this, not only because I'm from here and have lived here most of my life but also because I've searched for veggie soup mix a little too close to a major holiday on more than one occasion.  The picture below is of spinach dip that was actually made with the very last packet of veggie soup mix available in my local Kroger just before a major holiday (I can't remember if it was Thanksgiving or Christmas.  I think I'm getting early onset Alzheimer's but that's a story for another post).  I had to search through countless packets of onion soup mix to find it.  Searchers before me had given up, as evidenced by the abandoned jars of mayonnaise and  loaves of Hawaiian bread on the otherwise empty shelves but I tirelessly searched until I found one lone packet hidden in the back of a box of onion soup mix.  Triumphant, I (actually) shouted 'Ha!!' and went about gathering the other ingredients.

Holiday Spinach Dip
Adapted from the recipe on the back of Knorr's Vegetable Soup Mix.


1 10 - 12 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 16 oz. container sour cream
1 c. mayonnaise
1 pkg. dry vegetable soup mix
1 6 oz. jar quartered & marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
splash of liquid from jar of artichoke hearts
1 large loaf Hawaiian bread

*Squeeze water (or spinach juice...whatever) out of the spinach.  Put spinach in a large bowl with all the other ingredients except the splash of liquid.  Stir well. Add splash of artichoke liquid, if the dip is not already too thin.  Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.  Hollow out the middle of the loaf of Hawaiian bread.  Spoon dip into hole you've created.  You'll have some dip leftover.  Use bread you've taken out of loaf as dippers.  Add your favorite dippers as well, if you'd like.  Tortilla chips, veggies, etc.  They're all good with this dip.

A few notes:

• Be sure your spinach is properly thawed before you squeeze the moisture out or your fingers will hurt from the cold.
• After you squeeze the moisture out of the spinach, it will be in little fist-sized balls.  Be sure you break these up before you stir all the other ingredients in.  Otherwise, you'll end up with a yummy dip that has spinach balls in it. Not good.
• Use quality ingredients here.  Yes, you can use low-fat, reduced calorie, diet-y stuff in this recipe but you'll loose flavor along with those calories and fat grams.  I'd say, try the full-fat and calorie version at least once.  And keep in mind that if you're taking it to a party, you won't be eating all of it by yourself. Now, if you're making it at home or taking it to a small party... you may want to consider going with low-cal sour cream and mayo... or just do an extra half hour next time you're on the elliptical machine.
• I 'chop' the artichoke heart quarters with kitchen scissors.  So much easier!
• The longer you leave this in the fridge, the better it will taste (up to a point).  I usually make mine the night before I'm taking it to a party the next day.