This skillet artichoke spinach dip is perfect for entertaining! With the bread rolls and the dip all in one skillet, it’s great for feeding a crowd.
I have always thought of the holiday season as a once-a-year excuse for indulgence, decadence and excess (cheese :). And in that spirit, I humbly offer up this skillet of warm cheese-topped bread and creamy, cheesy artichoke spinach dip. And you can make this skillet of goodness with a loaf of frozen, pre-made bread or roll dough (thawed) or make your own dough with the recipe below.
Whether it’s to accompany a football game or a holiday gathering, you’ll be the hit of the party when you bring this one out! Fresh, warm pull-apart buns ring the outside, while the centre is filled with warm artichoke and spinach dip. Simply grab a bun and spoon a bit of the warm dip on top.
As everyone knows, I like nothing more than to whip up my own bread dough, but don’t feel you need to do likewise (although this bread is wonderfully soft on the inside and crispy on the outside). Instead, you can easily use a loaf of frozen pre-made bread or roll dough (thawed). Just follow the directions below.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Bread Rolls – you can use the recipe below to make the rolls, or use a loaf of frozen pre-made bread or roll dough to make the rolls.
Cream Cheese – full fat cream cheese is recommended, for the best dip consistency.
Artichoke Hearts – canned artichoke hearts are recommended.
Recipe Tips
While best fresh from the oven, I have made this ahead and re-heated to serve. Simply bake, cool a bit then refrigerate covered with foil. To serve, cover loosely with tinfoil and pop into a 350° F. oven for 25-30 minutes to re-warm.
It’s also worth noting that you can use any of your favourite baked dips in this dish (I think it would be great with a warm crab dip!), so get creative and make your own version.
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Get the Recipe: Skillet Artichoke Spinach Dip
Ingredients
Bread Dough: (or use one loaf of frozen bread dough, thawed)
- 2 3/4 - 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup milk, warmed, but not hot
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter
Artichoke Spinach Dip:
- 4 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach, (or 1/2 of a 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and drained)
- 6 oz canned marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped (can also use regular canned artichokes, about 2/3 cup chopped)
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature (1/2 a typical brick)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce, (or any "hot sauce" you like)
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup mozzarella,, shredded plus more for topping
- Salt and pepper
To serve:
- 1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- For making bread dough: (If using pre-made dough, skip ahead to make the dip and then Cutting/shaping dough below)
- Add two cups of the flour to a large bowl of the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a kneading hook. Add salt and combine. Warm milk to lukewarm. Stir in yeast and let stand a few minutes. Add yeast mixture to bowl, along with the vegetable oil or melted butter. Mix and add additional flour in 1/4 cup increments until a smooth dough forms. Knead until smooth. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Make Dip: Meanwhile, place fresh spinach in a bowl with 1 Tbsp. of water. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from microwave, leave covered and let stand 15 minutes to cool. Drain spinach well and add to a medium bowl.
- Add the remaining dip ingredients and mix until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
- Cutting/shaping dough: Turn dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 16 equal pieces. (I cut in half, then each piece in half, then repeat cutting each piece into equal parts until I have 16 pieces). Shape each piece into a ball by pinching the edges together underneath.
- Generously butter an 8-inch cast-iron skillet. Find a bowl that is about 5 1/2-inches across the top, spray the outside with cooking spray and place it, top side down, in the center of the skillet. (*If you can't find a bowl, take a sheet of tin foil and shape it into a tight circle about 5 1/2-inches around and 1 inch high and place it in the centre. Spray it with cooking spray.
- Arrange the dough balls around the outside of the skillet, pushing them together as needed until they all fit. Brush dough balls generously with melted butter. Cover the skillet with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy, about 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 375° (regular bake setting/not fan assisted) with rack in centre of oven. Remove bowl from center of skillet. Spoon prepared dip into the centre space, pushing it right up to the edge of the dough. Sprinkle top of dip with additional mozzarella/Parmesan. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes, until rolls are golden and sound hollow when tapped and the dip is bubbly.
- Remove from oven. Raise oven rack to the top third and switch oven to broil. Sprinkle the rolls with additional mozzarella cheese and return skillet to oven under the broiler, until the cheese and dip is browned.
- Let skillet stand at least 5-10 minutes, or until just warm (not hot). Add a bit of freshly ground pepper on top, if you like. Do watch the hot skillet handle and wrap in a towel if it is still to hot to hold. Serve with a dip "knife" and let everyone serve themselves.
Notes
More Dip Recipes to Love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
I dont have a mixer could I use that simply homemade bread mix ?
Sure. I think that would work just fine.
I must say that this is just genius. I love it! Must make ASAP. Thank you!
Thanks so much Lindz. Happy New Year!
I just made this for lunch. Used an oven pan and swopped the artichokes for bacon bits and the mozarella for cheddar. Added a tablespoon of worcestersire sauce and a teaspoon of mustard. Was so yum we literaly licked the pan! Thanks for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it, Lizl. Love your version!
So beautiful and creative. I love recipes using my cast iron pans.
Thanks so much, Christine. I’m always looking for new ways to use my skillet :)
I served this tonight to my family and they seriously could not believe how awesome it was, I made my own rolls recipe but the dip is out of this world. The presentation in the cast iron skillet was the best and ironic too, because I gave the girls some cast iron of their own…..ha ha!!!!!!! I will give them the recipe now too
So glad to hear you all enjoyed it. Your kids will enjoy their skillets, too! Merry Christmas!
I’m making this tonight, but I don’t have cast iron and my crowd says no spinach. I am also using frozen dough. I don’t feel guilty though because I’m making so many things. I’ve got two pans going so I’ll try one first as a test before guests arrive. You had me at the picture!! Fingers crossed!!
Hope you enjoyed it, Judy. Merry Christmas!
Don’t you need a small amount of sugar to activate the yeast?
Hi Nathan, You can add a bit to the milk, if you’d like to be sure your yeast activates, but milk has sugar in it, usually enough to activate yeast.
Your bread always looks amazing – and now you put dip in the middle. Genius! Happy holidays Jennifer!
Thanks so much, Renee and same to you! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas.
Cant wait to make this one for the family…looks wonderful!
Thanks Marylou. Enjoy!
What a terrific appetizer for the holidays. Your photos are fantastic….it looks like I could just scope up some of that dip right from my computer screen.
Thanks so much, Karen. It was delicious!
This looks amazing!! I’m planning on making a spinach & artichoke dip for a holiday get together at my house and this might be it!! Could I use a baking dish (white casserole dish) instead of a skillet. I don’t have a skillet! :( lol.
No skillet?! I don’t know what I’d do without mine :) But yes, absolutely, a casserole dish would work just fine. Just grease well so your rolls don’t stick, would be my only advice. Enjoy!
I ended up getting myself a skillet as a late Christmas present. I am actually seasoning it right now in time for my dinner tomorrow. :) thank you for replying to my comment with an answer to my question so quickly and I can’t wait to make (and eat) this delicious dip!! Happy New Year!
You will love your skillet, Bridget. I have a lot of other skillet recipes here and I also have a Pinterest board just for Cast Iron Cooking and Baking, with lots of ideas from other sites! Enjoy!
A quick trip to resale/second-hand/thrift store can be an excellent gift to yourself. Remember to season it before using. Search net for instructions for seasoning cast-iron cookware.
Oh man – I could easily make dinner out of this!
In the spirit of the season, I approve of that, Chung-Ah! ;)
Wow this looks so good. I love the idea of fresh bread and dip in the same pan.
Thanks so much, Jess.
Haha yes, I think the towel around the handle is key! Too many times I have nearly grabbed (or really grabbed!) the hot handle of a skillet from the oven… I’m too used to them being fine to touch when on the stove. AHK! Accident-prone.
This sounds so good, Jennifer and I love the composition and that it’s all in cast-iron! For Christmas I usually do baked brie (with a layer of minced garlic under the pastry) for when we open gifts, but this year I’d like to try this instead! I think the little ones would love it. Actually…. baked brie could do well in this application… but spinach-artichoke sounds too good! Cheers!
I always remember to remind about the handle, because I have done the same thing many, many times, Sophie.
I think Brie would do well in this. Maybe do an herb bread instead of cheese?
I love spinach artichoke dip! This is such a great holiday appetizer idea!
Thanks so much, Laura. We’ve been nibbling on it and enjoying. It keeps in the fridge pretty well!
My family is BIG on chicken wing dip. This sounds like it would be perfect substitute
Yes, it would be great with this one!