Olive Garden Hot Artichoke & Spinach Dip

Let’s talk about saving money, since we are Pennies on a Platter. Do you ever long to go out to eat at a certain restaurant just to taste that one favorite item on their menu? Then, you end up spending way too much on other items and tip?

Why not just find the recipe (or something very close to it) and make it at home, eliminating the risk of over-spending on the other menu items? Save that tip money for buying a pair of comfy socks that last more than one night. Well, this problem is solved for a few of my cravings. One example, I posted not too long ago, is the Maggiano’s Rigatoni D dish. Here, I am listing another recipe a friend shared with me a little over a year ago.

I believe my friend, Cathy, got this recipe from the Top Secret recipes cookbook or something like that. I’m sorry I can only reference my friend as the source and not her actual source. At least I’m not taking the credit! 🙂

Do YOU have any “secret” recipes to share?

Olive Garden’s Hot Artichoke & Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

8 ounces package cream cheese
14 ounces can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup frozen spinach, chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup romano cheese
1 clove garlic , minced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 tsp garlic salt
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature. Cream together mayo, cheeses, garlic, basil, and garlic salt. Mix well. Add the artichoke hearts and spinach and mix until blended. Store in a container until you are ready to use. Spray pie plate with Pam. Pour in dip and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the top is browned. Serve with toasted bread.