Cheesy High Protein Spinach and Artichoke Dip
This higher protein version of the classic dip packs 30g of protein per serving without skimping on the creamy cheesiness of the original, and is delicious warm or cold.
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 224kcal
Equipment
- 1 large sauté pan or pot
- 1 food processor (optional)
- 1 small ceramic or glass baking dish (make sure it's broiler safe)
Ingredients
- 3 packed cups fresh spinach, chopped (see Note 1)
- ¾ tsp salt, or more to taste, divided
- ¾ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, divided
- ½ cup cottage cheese (I use 2%, but any percentage works)
- ½ cup high protein cream cheese (see Note 2)
- ⅓ cup fat free Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp ground mustard
- 1 ¼ cups low fat mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
- 4 canned artichoke hearts, patted dry and chopped (see Note 3)
- Tortilla chips, crackers, bread or veggies of choice, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a sauté pan or pot over low heat and add the spinach then season with a pinch of salt and pepper
- Cook for about 4-5 minutes until wilted then set aside to cool
- Once cooled, use a wooden spoon to press as much liquid as possible from the spinach (see Note 3)
- Preheat oven to 375℉
- In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, onion powder, garlic powder, ground mustard and remaining salt and pepper and blend until smooth (or mix well by hand)
- Transfer to a bowl and mix in ¾ cup of the mozzarella cheese, the spinach and the artichoke hearts (see Note 3)
- Transfer the mixture to a broiler safe baking dish and smooth flat then top with the remaining mozzarella
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted then broil for 1-2 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbling (see Note 4)
- Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, bread or veggies of choice for dipping
Notes
Note 1: I prefer fresh spinach for this recipe, but you can use frozen spinach too. Just make sure to thaw it first and squeeze it really well to remove excess liquid.
Note 2: I use my homemade high protein cream cheese for this recipe because it's a great low fat, high protein alternative to store-bought cream cheese. You can also use any store-bought regular, light or fat free cream cheese, or skip the cream cheese and use 1 cup cottage cheese instead.
Note 3: Both spinach and canned artichokes can be watery, so make sure you squeeze excess liquid from the spinach after wilting and pat the artichokes very dry so your dip is creamy and not watery.
Note 4: This dip is excellent both warm and cold. If you prefer to serve it cold, just mix in all the mozzarella cheese and skip the oven steps.
Nutrition Facts in the recipe card below are calculated automatically and may be inaccurate. For more accurate nutrition information, refer to the macros below. Macros in the Recipe Notes section are calculated using a Macro Calculation App but will differ slightly based on ingredients used in individual variations. Nutritional information for this recipe is based on one serving.
Macros per serving: 276 calories/30g protein/13g carbs/11g fat
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 224kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 1306mg | Potassium: 248mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 408IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 588mg | Iron: 0.4mg