By Week 505. Year 10. Tommy is 43. Back to school. The annual transition. Rémy (14) in school, cooking and fishing. Colette (17) in high school, painting. The dinner table conversation getting deeper as the kids get older and the topics shift from homework to life and the shift is the growth and the growth is the point.
Made dove poppers this week — the kind of food that fills the house with the smell of Louisiana and the knowledge that whoever walks through the door is walking into a home where the stove is on and the food is ready and the welcome is unconditional. The meal was the day. The day was the meal. Both were good. The chain holds.
Dove poppers have their own magic, but what ties them to a night like this one — Year 10, the kids growing up faster than the seasons change — is the format: small, warm, packed with flavor, ready the moment someone walks in. These Spinach ’Artichoke Cups carry that same spirit. Creamy, savory, made to be passed around a table where the conversation has gotten too good to pause for anything more complicated. That’s the recipe for a night like Week 505.
Spinach & Artichoke Cups
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 24 cups
Ingredients
- 1 package (14.1 oz) refrigerated pie crusts (2 sheets), or 24 pre-made mini phyllo shells
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin.
- Prepare the cups. If using pie crust, roll out each sheet on a lightly floured surface and cut into 24 rounds using a 2 1/2-inch round cutter. Press each round gently into a mini muffin cup to form a shell. If using pre-made phyllo shells, place them directly in the tin. Set aside.
- Sauté the filling base. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add the chopped spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2–3 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Mix the filling. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in the mozzarella and Parmesan. Fold in the spinach and artichoke mixture. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper to taste.
- Fill the cups. Spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon of filling into each prepared cup, filling just to the top.
- Bake. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the cups are golden at the edges and the filling is set and lightly bubbling. Let cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing.
- Serve warm. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately. These are best hot out of the oven — the kind of thing that disappears before dinner even officially starts.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 112 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 178mg