These days just about every casual dining chain has its version of this appetizer: spinach and artichoke hearts mixed with cheese and spices, served up hot with chips or crackers for dipping. Making the rounds over the years, I’ve tried many of them, and most formulas are nearly identical. That is, except for this one. Houston’s makes their spinach dip special by using a blend of sour cream, Monterey Jack cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano—the ultimate Parmesan cheese. Parmigiano-Reggiano is born in Italy
and is usually aged nearly twice as long as other, more common Parmesan cheeses. That ingredient makes the big difference in this dip. So hunt down some of this special Parm at your well-stocked market or gourmet store, and you’ll find out why Houston’s spinach dip has been one of the most requested recipe clones at TSR Central.
INGREDIENTS:
- One 12-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- ½ cup chopped canned artichoke hearts (not marinated)
- 1 tablespoon chopped white onion ¼ cup heavy cream ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 ¼ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- ⅓ cup grated Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Mix together the spinach, chopped artichoke hearts, and onion in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, leaving a small slit in the center for steam to escape.
- Microwave on high for 4 minutes.
- Keep the spinach covered while preparing the cream sauce.
- Combine cream, sour cream, Jack cheese, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and garlic salt in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat.
- Heat slowly for about 10 minutes or until the sauce reaches a simmer and thickens.
- Avoid boiling the mixture.
- Add the spinach mixture to the sauce and continue to heat over medium/low.
- Cook for about 10 more minutes or until the mixture reaches a thick dip-like consistency.
- Pour into a bowl and serve with tortilla chips for dipping (or crackers, bread, whatever you want)
