Shrimp, Spinach & Artichoke Dip with Garlic Bruschetta Toasts

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A budget-friendly, family-restaurant-style hot dip: chopped shrimp folded into a creamy spinach and artichoke base with salty Romano, baked in a small dish so the top browns hard and the middle stays scoopable. The trick is squeezing the spinach genuinely bone-dry — that's the difference between a thick, glossy dip and a watery one. Served with buttery garlic toasts you make in the same oven.

Ingredients

• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 can (14 oz) quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
• 8 oz raw shrimp (medium, 41/50), peeled and deveined
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup finely grated Romano cheese, divided
• 3/4 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• 1 baguette or Italian loaf, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, halved
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Choose a small baking dish — a 1-quart round dish or 8-inch pie plate — so the dip sits 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep. A wide, shallow dish gives you more browning surface, which is exactly what you want.
2. Squeeze the spinach bone-dry. Pile the thawed spinach in the center of a clean kitchen towel, gather it into a bundle, and twist hard over the sink. Keep twisting until no more liquid comes out, then open it, break up the clump, re-bundle, and squeeze again. You should end up with a dense ball weighing about 6 oz. This step is non-negotiable — wet spinach makes a soupy dip.
3. Drain the artichokes well, then press them between paper towels. Chop into rough 1/2-inch pieces and blot again.
4. Pat the shrimp dry and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, add the shrimp and cook 90 seconds, stirring, until just barely opaque at the edges. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds more. Scrape everything into a bowl (including any pan juices only if they're minimal — if there's a puddle, leave it behind) and let cool 5 minutes. The shrimp will finish cooking in the oven.
5. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a sturdy spoon or hand mixer until smooth, about 1 minute. Mix in the sour cream, mayonnaise, heavy cream, onion powder, salt, black pepper and lemon juice until fully combined and lump-free.
6. Fold in the spinach (breaking up any clumps with your fingers), artichokes, mozzarella, 1/2 cup of the Romano and the shrimp with its garlic butter. Taste and adjust salt — Romano is salty, so go easy.
7. Scrape into the baking dish and smooth the top. Scatter the remaining 1/4 cup Romano evenly over the surface. Bake on the center rack for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and the top is spotted deep golden brown. If it's bubbling but pale, run it under the broiler 1 to 2 minutes, watching constantly.
8. While the dip bakes, make the toasts: arrange the bread slices on a sheet pan, brush with the melted butter mixed with olive oil, and bake on the lower rack for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp and golden at the edges. Rub the hot toasts with the cut side of the halved garlic clove.
9. Let the dip rest 5 minutes out of the oven — it thickens as it settles. Shower with chopped parsley and serve hot with the garlic toasts.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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