Olive Garden’s Spinach & Artichoke Dip

My best friend Angie and I love dining at Olive Garden, but we don’t get to eat there as often as we like; as a substitute I try to make some of our favorite Olive Garden dishes at home. This happens to be one of her favorites and the hubby actually loves this one too, although he dislikes artichokes in general, go figure. So, in an attempt to keep their tummies happy and to sneak some vegetables into our Super Bowl Menu, I plan on making this super yummy dip on Sunday and best of all I get to break in my new Pier1 Artichoke Bowl.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
• 1 6-oz pack fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 lb cream cheese, room temperature
• 8 oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 Tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 5 green onions, chopped
• Salt to taste
• Ground black pepper to taste
• 8 slices crusty Italian bread
• Extra virgin olive oil (to drizzle)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, except bread and extra virgin olive oil.

Coat a large non-stick baking pan with pan spray; fill pan with mixture. Bake at 325ºF for about 25 minutes or until bubbling and center is hot.

Drizzle both sides of bread with extra virgin olive oil. Grill bread on both sides.

Sprinkle top of heated dip with Parmesan cheese. Serve hot with grilled bread.