“Oh sweet heavens, that’s good.” I believe those were the exact words I uttered when I took my first bite of this Skillet Bread and Spinach Artichoke Dip. I was all by myself in the little studio where I take pictures, hovered over the skillet like a momma bear protecting her young. I thought I was only going to sample a small bite, but two rolls disappeared before I knew what was happening. This stuff is good. Really good. Dangerously good.
I’ve been wanting to make a dip and bread skillet for awhile. What could possibly be more wonderful than a warm skillet of puffy, soft bread surrounding a molten, cheesy puddle of dip? It sounded divine, but it also sounded like a lot of work. This time of year, I hardly have time to put pants on every day, let alone make homemade yeast rolls and spinach dip. When the Christmas party schedule is in full swing, I need appetizers that can be whipped up in that 20 minutes window between wrapping a white elephant present and throwing on my ugly sweater.
Friends, would you believe me if I told you this appetizer fits the bill? Thanks to frozen yeast rolls and La Terra Fina’s Spinach Artichoke Parmesan Dip, this dish only requires about 15 minutes of hands on time. You may think you’ll be sacrificing flavor by not going homemade, but in this case, you’d be wrong. La Terra Fina’s dips are made with fresh ingredients and taste just as good as homemade. Really truly.
I spiced up the two main ingredients with a little garlic butter for the yeast rolls, an extra layer of melty mozzarella for the top (because WHY NOT??), and a sprinkling of poppy seeds for a subtle crunch. Grab a hunk of the soft, pillowy bread, dip it in the cheesy artichoke dip, and before you know it you’ll be uttering “oh sweet heavens” too.
The hardest thing about this recipe is remembering to take the yeast rolls out 3 hours before you want to bake the dip. You’ll line them up in a buttered skillet with a bowl in the center, and let them rise all afternoon while you attend to more important matters, like watching Elf again. Once they’re puffy, you brush them with butter, scoop the dip in the center, and pop the whole thing in the oven for 20 minutes until golden and bubbly.
I served this dip at an ugly Christmas party this weekend, and, not surprisingly, it was gobbled up in no time. This skillet is about to be on everyone’s Christmas wish list.
- 9 frozen yeast rolls
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 containers La Terra Fina Spinach Artichoke and Parmesan Dip
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- About three hours before you would like to bake the dip, remove the bread dough from the freezer. Thoroughly grease an 8 inch cast iron skillet with butter. Place the rolls in a ring around the outside of the skillet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Find a bowl that is similar in size to the center circle. Grease the upper rim of the bowl with butter then place it upside down in the center of the rolls. Cover the pan with saran wrap (be sure to spray it with non stick spray if it will be touching the rolls), and allow the rolls to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2-3 hours.
- Once the rolls are doubled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the saran wrap and the center bowl. Whisk together the salted butter and garlic powder then lightly brush it on top of the rolls. Scoop the dip inside the center ring then sprinkle with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the rolls with the poppy seeds. Bake for 15 minutes or until the rolls are puffed and golden brown and the dip is hot clear through.
This post is sponsored by the wonderful people at La Terra Fina. As always, all opinions are my own.
Good gravy this looks amazing. Just the right balance of gooey and carb-y. Looks like a great party appetizer!
Gooey and carby is exactly right! This is such a hit at parties!