I know I’m a bit late to the party, but I’ve been seeing all these Superbowl recipes and although I’m not much of a football buff, they’ve made me a bit envious. So for the first time in a few years I turned on the TV and cooked up some ginger lime buffalo wings (which I’ll post later), a fresh loaf of bread and this tofu spinach artichoke dip.
My last tofu post seemed to get a good reception (I didn’t even get any hatemail), so here’s another tofu dish. This one was inspired by the stove-top Spinach Cheese Dip over at the fantastic White On Rice Couple.
I hope Diane doesn’t kill me for mutilating her recipe, but I love spinach dip, and seeing as I could eat a whole batch by myself, I figured I needed to do something to make it a little healthier (or at least to be able to justify it in my head). I’ve added artichoke hearts and swapped out the cream cheese and milk for silken tofu. I also use a 50/50 mix of Parm Reg and Gruyere, then sprinkle the top with some additional Gruyere before putting it into a hot oven to brown the top.
I won’t lie to you, it’s not quite as rich as the all cheese version, but it’s still creamy and in some ways I like it better. It still has all the cheesy flavor but is lighter, so you can eat more of it. If by some miracle there are leftovers, put it in an omelet the next morning.
1 small onion or half large onions diced
2 cloves garlic minced
14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts in water
10 oz package of defrosted chopped spinach
16 oz package of silken tofu drained
5oz can water chestnuts roughly chopped
1/4 C mayonnaise (optional)
1/2 C freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1/2 C + 1/4 C freshly grated Gruyere or Comté cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Paprika
Move your oven rack to the upper middle position and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Heat an oven proof skillet and add a splash of oil. Saute the onions until they are soft then add the garlic, continuing to saute until they are well caramelized and a nice rich brown. Squeeze the excess water out of the spinach and artichoke hearts and add them to the onions, stirring to combine.
Add the drained tofu and mash with a wooden spoon, stirring to incorporate with everything else. Add the water chestnuts, mayo, Parmigiano Reggiano and 1/2 C of the Gruyere. Stir together until smooth and creamy then salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle the remaining Gruyere on top and dust with paprika. Bake in oven until the dip is bubbly and the cheese is golden brown.
Enjoy with a fresh baked baguette or crackers.
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{ 24 comments }
Tofu and cheese? I never tried this. Sounds pretty intriguing though.
Here’s to tofu! This is a great variation Marc.
What an interesting idea! We made spinach artichoke dip for the game as well. I can honestly say yours must be much more healthy! At least there’s spinach, right?
The best part of football is the food!
That dip looks awesome! Really delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
I was making my artichoke dip this afternoon and was thinking to myself that there has got to be a way to make it healthier. Cream cheese, mayo, and sour cream are not the best combo – at least if you are trying to be healthy. I’ll take a tip from you next time.
I don’t know who to thank more, you or my brother! Geez guys, when these dips get in your hands, they just get better and better!
I LOVE the tofu addition instead of the cream cheese, brilliant! Hey, if it’s still good, I can eat your whole revised dip and not feel guilty at all. Thanks!
Well it does still have over a cup of cheese in it and tofu does have calories, but I figure the cholesterol lowering properties of the tofu maybe sort of offsets the cholesterol in the cheese and there are lots of veggies in here too:-)
Sounds like a really healthy and delicious dip! Anything with tofu to me sounds healthy somehow =P
Ya know – I’m sooo not a fan of tofu – but with this – you may have just converted me…and it’s made in a cast iron too? Hmmm! Anything cooked in a cast iron has got to be great!
Sounds good to me (well, more than good, actually, like something I’d scarf down fairly rapidly if it were put in front of me!)
The dip looks awesome. My 4-year old just discovered a new love for dips over the superball weekend. She said “I’m really getting into these dips, I think”
This looks awesome! I think this has to go on my to do list!
Great idea to use tofu! I sometimes use silken tofu to replace some of the cheese in stuffed pasta, but I never thought of using it in this dip.
This is great! I tend to stay away from spinach dips, the guilt is just too much. Hooray for the healthier version!
And to quote my dad – tofus are like sponges, they take on any flavour.
Looks interesting Marc. Iv never had spinach dip before. Adding tofu sounds like a great idea. A keeper!
Man, I LOVE this!!! Such a wonderful combination. Ah, do you really get hate mail? I find it hard to believe.
Marc, I’m definitely making this. Hooray to healthier spinach and artichoke. Wonder what the calorie count is on this bad boy relative to a restaurant version.
It’s even better the next day after the flavours have had a chance to settle. I think next time I make this I’ll do the skillet work the day prior and then warm/brown it the next day.
Marc,
I make a light version of spinach artichoke dip with panko crumbs. It is always a hit. I like the skillet version.
Great photos of Tokyo.
Stace
see, tofu again. i’m intrigued and i’d love to taste this to see if i miss the “all cheese”. i bet you i wouldn’t.
Wonderful variations! It’ll be a must-try for my next shindig.
Man, I miss artichokes. I thought I’d be neck-deep in them when I came here but there aren’t any fresh ones to be found (wrong timing!). Maybe I can forget all about them with this dip– but yeah, tofu does have calories, lol. I should’ve totally come by and helped you finish it
hello,your recipes are so cool,I hope it taste the way it looks I am a chinese food amateur and like cooking the dish myself,I’ll try it,I hope I could cook this dish as yours,thanks for sharing again.
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