Slow Cooker 4-Cheese Artichoke Dip Recipe (and Pasta Sauce!)

A slow cooker (or crock pot for us nostalgic ones) is a must-have kitchen item and one that I personally could not live without. I nestle our beloved pot in a corner of our kitchen and it remains there throughout the colder months of winter, churning out meal after meal with ease.  

In Stock the Crock, a new cookbook from Phillis Good, creator of the best-selling Fix-It and Forget-It series, you'll find 100 easy recipes for soups, stews and chowders, vegetarians and pasta mains, meat and seafood dishes, as well as side dishes and desserts. It also includes 200 handy variations for dietary needs, such as gluten-free, vegetarian or paleo, as well as size accommodations for one or two people. Get this great recipe from the cookbook, too: Screamin' Good Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas.

If you're entertaining a crowd for the big Game Day, try this delicious artichoke dip. I simply can't resist a warm and creamy, cheesy artichoke dip, and this recipe has it all! Lots of cheesy goodness that's perfect for scooping up with tortilla chips. There's even a version to make it into a pasta sauce - YUM!

4-Cheese Artichoke Dip (or Pasta Sauce)
Makes 7 to 10 cups 
Prep: 15 to 20 minutes, Cook: 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours
3 qt slow cooker

“Confession: I’m not a big artichoke heart fan. But I discovered that many other people are. Whenever I make this dip, I’m met with raves.” ~Jessica  S.

2 (14-ounce) cans water-packed artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped (drain one can; reserve the liquid from the other can to add to the dip)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese,  at room temperature
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1⁄2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1⁄2  cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon seeded, chopped  jalapeño chile
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Tortilla chips
Fresh topper: sliced green onions, optional

Grease the interior of the slow cooker crock with butter or nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the artichoke hearts and next 10 ingredients (through garlic powder) in  the prepared crock.

Cover. Cook on Low 1 hour, or until the cheeses are melted and the dip is  heated through.

Top with green onions, if desired. Serve from the cooker with tortilla chips.

Variations:

Make a 4-Cheese Artichoke Pasta Sauce:
Combine the first 11 ingredients as stated above, but use a 5-quart slow cooker. Thaw 2 (10-ounce) packages of frozen chopped spinach. Squeeze the spinach dry. Stir it into the mixture in Step 2. Follow the directions in
Step 3, cooking another 30 minutes if needed to heat the sauce through.

Serve over rotini, cavatappi, or another twisty pasta that will catch and hold the creamy vegetables.

Make It for Picky Eaters:
Omit the jalapeño chile.

Simple Swap:
Substitute fresh vegetables for the canned artichokes. Wash 1 1⁄2 pounds fresh spinach. Chop it. Microwave, covered, on High for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it’s still bright green but wilted. Allow to cool. Then squeeze dry. Stir it into the mixture in Step 2.

Excerpted from Stock the Crock by Phyllis Good. Copyright © 2017 Oxmoor House. Reprinted with permission from Time Inc. Books, a division of Time Inc. New York, NY. All rights reserved.