This Skinny Spinach and Artichoke is my favorite appetizer, loaded with spinach, artichoke and water chestnuts. It’s the perfect for a party and can be prepared ahead of time if needed. It’s a slight variation on the original Weight Watcher Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip.
I remember the first time I made this dip, it was at my friend Agatha’s house. We were having a girls’ night and I was a bit nervous because I was doing Weight Watchers at the time, and it’s always hard not to indulge when everyone around you is.
I asked her if it would be okay if we made this Skinny SpinachArtichoke Dip so I felt like I could still track my points and enjoy myself. Of course, she encouraged me and let me mess up her kitchen to do so.
We were shocked how amazing this spinach dip was even though it used low-fat or fat-free ingredients. I am fairly certain I measured myself SEVERAL servings because it was so tasty. No one ever would have known that it was a Weight Watchers recipe unless I told them.
Ever since, this has been my go-to appetizer for parties. I love it because you can make it in advance, pop it in the refrigerator and then bake it the next day.
I’ve shared with you my weight loss journey and even an occasional follow up the years following. My weight loss journey will never really end as I transition into maintenance mode, which is spoiler alert, a lot harder than losing the weight. So, it’s important to me that I have some go-to dishes I can still enjoy and not feel guilty about. Although I dare you to resist extra servings of this Skinny Spinach Artichoke Dip.
If I’m preparing this for a party and I have a lot going on, then I usually prepare quite a bit of it ahead of time. I like to chop things up like the artichoke hearts and water chestnuts. You’ll also want to remember to thaw the spinach in advance. If you forget, just thaw it in a bowl of hot water. As I am sure you know, the spinach carries quite a bit of water, so be sure to drain and squeeze all the excess water out.
For the most part, I’ll follow the original Weight Watchers recipe, but I like to add some additional garlic, salt and pepper. I also prefer to use a regular (full fat) cream cheese and I add parmesan cheese. The parmesan cheese to totally optional. The cream cheese and parmesan does increase the points per servings, but I just prefer the taste more than 1/3 less-fat cream cheese. Feel free to use either.
The best part about this Spinach and Artichoke Dip is that it can be served with a variety of sides. For instance, you can go with the classics like sour dough bread or tortilla chips. You could also make it even healthier and serve it with carrots and celery. You’d be surprised how good it tastes with celery and there’s zero point there!
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Skinny Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 18 servings
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Skinny Spinach and Artichoke is my favorite appetizer, loaded with spinach, artichoke and water chestnuts. It’s the perfect for a party and can be prepared ahead of time if needed. It’s a slight variation on the original Weight Watcher Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter (light if you have it)
- 1 cup white onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 ounces chopped frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
- 8 ounces canned water chestnuts, sliced, drained and chopped
- 14 ounces canned artichoke hearts with oil, quartered, drained and chopped
- 8 ounces cream cheese (or 1/3 less-fat cream cheese)
- 8 ounces light sour cream
- 1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided (optional)
- 1 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 11 by 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the chopped onions and garlic. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until tender.
- Next add the drained spinach, chopped water chestnuts and artichokes and continue sautéing for about 5 minutes.
- Finally add the cream cheese, sour cream and half of the low-fat cheddar cheese and half of the shredded parmesan and stir until the cream cheese is melted and all the ingredients are well mixed.
- Pour the dip into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining cheddar cheese and parmesan.
- Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes. If the top is browning too much, cover with aluminum foil and continue baking until the time is up.
- Serve warm with tortilla chips, sour dough bread or carrots and celery.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
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Love this recipe! Looks so delicious. Thank you so much for sharing. Cannot wait to make this skinny artichoke dip at home for the family and see if it can be a replacement to the cheesy gooey (and fattening) artichoke dip we are used to.
I commend you on your efforts to be healthy, but I think you are pretty spectacular no matter what you think you look like or what the scale says. Just be you and live what seems to be a wonderful life. You have so much going for you–I bet you don’t even know how gifted you are.