Better-Than-Restaurant Spinach & Artichoke Dip (An Instant Pot Version, Too!)

I love a good dip at a party. I used to have an old handwritten recipe for a copycat spinach & artichoke dip from a pretty famous local restaurant. I made it so often that one time I thought I could do it from memory. I made a measurement mistake and it turned out to be the best batch I’d ever made. So then THAT was how I made it. Over the years, I’ve tweaked it here and there and this is what I’ve landed on. I’ve made this dip for countless parties, showers, and even two weddings!

This recipe makes a good bit (enough to fill a 13×9 pan), but I often make it in double or triple batches and then freeze portions of it in case I need an appetizer in a pinch. It freezes and reheats very well.

Stovetop Version:

1 stick butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon Tony’s

2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, cubed and softened

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the powdery kind)

8 oz. block of Pepper Jack cheese, shredded

2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese

3/4 cup milk or & half

2 boxes frozen spinach, thawed and drained

2 cans quartered artichoke hearts (in water, not oil), drained

Melt the butter in a large skillet or wok, add onion and sauté until the onions are clear. Add the Tony’s. Reduce heat to low.

Add the softened cream cheese and incorporate it well with the onions — you’ll have to stir it constantly so it doesn’t stick and burn. Add the sour cream and mix well. Once it starts looking like a cream sauce, add the Parmesan cheese, Pepper Jack cheese & mozzarella A LITTLE AT A TIME, stirring well after each addition. Keep stirring constantly until all the cheese is incorporated in the cream sauce. Add the milk or half & half. Remove from the fire.

Add the spinach in a handful at a time and blend well.  Add the artichoke hearts and stir gently until uniform.

You can continue cooking it on the stove until it’s all heated through or you can pour into a greased 13×9 microwaveable casserole dish and microwave for five minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips or crostini.

Drain your artichokes into the Instant Pot and add your chicken broth, onions, frozen spinach, and Tony’s.

Lock the lid and cook  on High Pressure for 3 minutes. Quick Release the steam.

Place your cubed cream cheese on top, then add the sour cream and put the lid back on. Let it sit for 10 minutes for the cream cheese to soften.

After 10 minutes, add the cheeses a little at a time, stirring constantly. Add the milk or half & half as you go.

Add your artichokes and stir gently until uniform. Pour into serving dish and serve with tortilla chips or crostini.