Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip With Garlic Bechamel
Spinach Artichoke Dip is one of those dishes that people on particular ways of eating think is for everyone else but them. Rejoice, everyone – this dip is 100% grain free, dairy free, and egg free. This spinach artichoke dip is full of flavor and nutritional value, so while your taste buds are enjoying themselves, your body gets benefits as well. You can prepare this dip and take to outdoor cookouts, cocktail parties, holiday dinners, or just keep in the fridge and warm up whenever you yourself would like a bite. Dips are a great way to share the life-giving joys of food with others. Dips promote everyone to gather around together and chat while eating from the same dish – and in the case of this dip, they’re getting a multitude of health benefits as well.
Spinach Artichoke Dip With Extra Cheezy Flavor
I wasn’t kidding when I said this dip is dairy free, and yes, you’ll still enjoy the rich, cheesy flavor found in traditional spinach artichoke dip. Nutritional yeast is an amazing cheese substitute that comes from “Saccharomyces Cerevisiae”, which is a yeast grown on molasses. It is essentially deactivated yeast, so it doesn’t foam or froth or grow like traditional baking yeast. Nutritional yeast has been used for years as a cheese alternative, and works especially well if you’re substituting a hard cheese, such as Parmesan or Romano cheese. That’s how nutritional yeast is used in this recipe. Here are additional benefits that make nutritional yeast appealing for people aiming to optimize their way of eating:
- Low in fat and sodium
- Free of gluten
- Free of sugar
- Easily found in the bulk bins at your local grocery store
Spinach Artichoke Dip Loaded With Health Benefits
I’ll admit that some of the big draws of this recipe are that it’s free of grain, sugar, dairy, and eggs. It fits into nearly everyone’s way of eating. What may surprise you is that there’s actual nutritional benefits to this recipe. Besides the health benefits of spinach and artichokes, which include vitamins K, A, C, E, various B vitamins, magnesium, calcium – and that’s just the beginning – the dairy-free sour cream and dairy-free grated Parmesan also carry massive nutritional benefits. For the dairy-free sour cream, you’re loading up with:
- Copper
- Iron
- Zinc
- Selenium
- Even more vitamins A, E, K, and B6 and B12
- Probiotics (if you choose to add them – and I encourage you to do so)
Nutritional yeast, aside from being free of the usual complications of traditional yeast, are filled with:
- Iron
- Riboflavin
- up to 100% daily intake of all B vitamins
- Complete protein
I simply can’t say enough for the nutritional benefits alone that are found in this spinach artichoke dip. You’re also snagging the antioxidant benefits of garlic inside the Bechamel – the list just keeps growing for how fantastic this dish is for you. The nutritional yeast provides the delicious richness that everyone loves from spinach artichoke dip. The spinach and artichokes are hearty and make this a great dip for a light meal and an awesome heavy hors-d’oeuvre for cocktail or holiday parties. I’m excited to hear how much you love this recipe. Please try this out and come back here to comment on what you think. Enjoy making this, and especially enjoy eating it :)
Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip with Garlic Béchamel
Ingredients
Cheesy Spinach-Artichoke Dip
- One 10-ounce box frozen leaf spinach or fresh baby spinach leaves thawed and drained
- One 9-ounce box frozen or jarred artichoke hearts thawed and drained
- ¾ cup Dairy-Free Garlic Béchamel see below
- ½ cup Dairy-Free Sour Cream see below
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¹∕8 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup finely chopped cashews pine nuts or almonds
- 2 tablespoons Dairy-Free Grated Parmesan see below
Dairy-Free Garlic Béchamel
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour mixed with 2 tablespoons water
- 1½ cups grass-fed milk or homemade cashew or almond milk
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dairy-Free Sour Cream
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight, rinsed and drained
- ¾ cup water
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free chickpea miso
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon dairy-free probiotics powder optional
Dairy-Free Grated Parmesan
- ¾ cup raw macadamia nuts
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Cheesy Spinach-Artichoke Dip
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
- In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups salted water to a boil.
- Add the spinach and artichokes and cook until tender, about 3 minutes; drain.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the béchamel, sour cream, salt and pepper until warmed through, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach and artichokes to coat.
- Scrape the mixture into a small baking dish and sprinkle with the nuts and Parmesan.
- Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
Dairy-Free Garlic Béchamel
- In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the arrowroot slurry and cook until thickened, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Season with the salt and nutmeg.
Dairy-Free Sour Cream
- Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender and process on high speed until smooth. Refrigerate until cold and thickened. (The sour cream keeps in a resealable container for up to 1 week.)
Dairy-Free Grated Parmesan
- Using a food processor, pulse together the macadamia nuts, nutritional yeast and salt. Refrigerate. (The parmesan will keep in a resealable container for up to 1 week.)
Apple Cinnamon Oven Pancake
Congratulations on your new digs and thank you for sharing this lovely recipe!