Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Garlic Bread
Description
This is a delightful idea that I came across on Instagram from Buzzfeed/Tasty. Super simple, super flexible, below is the outline that I used and as you can imagine…there wasn’t a slice left – enjoy!
Ingredients
2+ baguettes, sliced into 4 even lengths – I used ciabatta baguettes and was glad I did as you want a hearty bread that will hold up to being filled
Filling
1 can (398 mL) artichoke hearts, drained
1 package (300 g) frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed as dry as possible
1 package (250 g) cream cheese, softened
1+ c. grated mozzarella AND 2 t. garlic powder
1 t. EACH kosher salt AND freshly ground pepper
Topping
1/4 c. melted butter AND 1 t. garlic salt AND 1 T. finely minced parsley
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 and lay out a few large pieces of foil. Use a knife to cut out the middles of all of the bread lengths, I also found that a wooden spoon handle helped with poking out the middles. Feed the squished bread bits to your children and make the filling.
I used my food processor to be speedy but really you just need to combine the filling ingredients really well in whatever way works best for you. Use a long, thin spoon (cocktail spoon!), to squish, pat and stuff each length of bread, then slice each stuffed portion into 4 slices. Arrange in a tight log on your pieces of foil, I found that 2 lengths or 8 slices was a tidy package, and brush liberally with the topping.
Wrap each bread package tightly, but in such a way that it’s also easy to undo again! Everything up to this point can be done ahead – I’m sure you could also put these in the fridge for several hours or overnight because baking will rejuvenate the bread completely.
Place the package(s) on a large baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes – or longer if they were cold to start, then carefully unwrap and place on a large platter to serve. These slices of cheesy goodness would also make a great appetizer but we enjoyed ours with some fabulous lasagna.
