Meaghan sent me the recipe for her quick and easy Cheesy Nacho Dip. The creaminess of the cream cheese blends quite nicely with the spice of the salsa. It’s a breeze to put together and is quite the crowd-pleaser. This dip can be assembled in advance and heated immediately before serving. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Cheesy Nacho Dip

8 oz. block of cream cheese
8 oz. bag of shredded cheese
one jar of salsa.

1. Spread the cream cheese across the bottom of a glass pie plate.
2. Spread your desired amount of salsa on top of the cream cheese.
3. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the salsa.
4. Microwave on high for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

I’ve received the Kraft Food and Family magazine for a few years. It’s a free, seasonal publication that contains easy recipes for everyday meals, appetizers and desserts. I have a number of Kraft recipes in my “Recipes to Try” binder, including this simple one for Spinach and Artichoke dip.

This spinach and artichoke dip recipe is delicious and easy to prepare. It’s funny how two vegetables that don’t look or smell too good on their own can taste so wonderful when combined with a few other ingredients.

I followed the recipe pretty closely. I used Cain’s Fat Free Mayonnaise, as I have found this to be the most flavorful of the reduced fat/fat free mayos I’ve tried. Because I wasn’t paying close attention, I added 1/4 cup more mozzarella cheese than the original recipe called for. Since I liked the creaminess of the recipe, I’ll keep adding 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese. In the future, I’ll probably add more garlic powder because I would prefer a little more garlic flavoring.

I served the spinach and artichoke dip with multi-grain Tostitos, but I also saw guests dipping assorted crackers. The dip was a hit!

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip

From KraftFoods.com

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, finely chopped
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
3/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
3/4 cup Mayonnaise
3/4 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Mix all ingredients until well blended.
3) Spoon into 9-inch pie plate or quiche dish.
4) Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until heated through

This dip can be assembled in advance. Cover and refridgerate for up to 24 hours. Bake, uncovered, as directed, but add 5-10 minutes more to ensure that the dip is heated through.