Mexican Spinach Artichoke Dip

40 Minutes

This Mexican Spinach and Artichoke Dip is a fun and flavorful twist on a classic dip recipe that is perfect for game days, holiday parties, and other fun occasions. 

For some people, the year is divided into two phases: football season and not football season. I for one am not one of those people, but I happen to be surrounded by friends, family, and a husband that is in fact one of those people.

So that means game day happens wherever there’s the biggest TV and/or the best food. I’m sure you can guess what that means for me…

Game day eats are a craft. They have to be easy to serve and eat, but it also needs to be shareable and able to be made in large quantities (in case a whole team’s worth of people happen to be coming over). 

At my house, that means chips and dip. Comforting, filling, satisfying foods that can be easily eaten with your hands. You get the idea.

I personally love a good spinach artichoke dip, but nothing is worse than chunky crockpot dip that has been sitting for hours. Dips that fall apart or come out dry and bland are really not worth making, especially when you’re hosting.

I’ve had plenty of dips in my day, which is how I know that this Mexican Spinach and Artichoke Dip is one of the best you’ll ever have! You can make it ahead of time and just bake during pregame or earlier on in the day. 

I wanted to add delicious and classic Mexican flavors like jalapenos, taco seasoning, and smoked paprika to bring some additional heat and depth to a regular spinach artichoke dip. 

I also cook the onions, spinach, and artichokes with all the spices before adding the cheese and baking it. This lets all the flavors meld together in a beautiful way. 

If you’ve been around here a while, you also know how much food texture plays a huge role in my recipes. For this game-day dip recipe, I added breadcrumbs on top to give it that little extra crunch without overpowering the dip.

With tangy, pickled jalapenos and artichoke hearts with spices, this dip has a unique depth of flavor, sweetness, and heat that pairs well with just about any type of chip or bread you can think of.

Kitchen Hacks for this Recipe

I use fresh spinach in this recipe, not because I want to be Martha Stewart or anything, but because it cooks a lot faster and doesn’t retain water the way frozen spinach does.

Water is not your friend when it comes to making dip because it affects the consistency and can make it too thin. For a creamy, filling dip, you want to stay away from water-retaining ingredients!

If you want to elevate the flavors of this Mexican Spinach and Artichoke Dip, use freshly grated parmesan cheese rather than pre-grated parmesan that comes in a plastic bottle. It will add so much more flavor and you can even experiment with various ages. 

Possibly my most useful hack for this recipe is to make the dip the day before and prepare it in an oven-safe dish. Then, rather than baking it, you can refrigerate it and bake it on the day of! 

I love using the Rubbermaid DuraLite™ Bakeware because you can store, freeze, reheat, and serve dishes in this one dish! Rather than re-plate or move things into different containers, you can keep it right in the dish – and it looks great!

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It’s made with a unique type of glass that allows it to withstand high temperatures, up to 550ºF (whereas other bakeware glasses tend to not handle temperatures that high!). Not to mention, they’re still extremely lightweight which helps you move seamlessly from oven to table to in front of the TV, no matter what event you’re serving this type of dish at.

So, usually, I’ll mix up the dip in my Rubbermaid DuraLite™ Bakeware, and then right before baking and serving, I’ll add my cheese to the top of the dip along with the breadcrumbs. Entertaining truly could not get any easier!