Artichoke Cheese Bread

Here is a terribly (and by terribly I mean terrific) indulgent recipe for Artichoke Cheese Bread.  Think of that Artichoke Cheese dip served in restaurants as an appetizer and then think of it stuffed into crispy French bread and baked.  So, so good.  It's amazingly rich and creamy and quite honestly, could be a meal on its' own. In fact it was at our house.

The recipe calls for canned artichokes which I didn't happen to have so I used a jar of marinated artichokes and just rinsed them well before chopping them up. It worked just fine.  I have also seen frozen artichokes which would be another good option. I also cut back on the amount of sour cream so it wouldn't be so gloppy and I added a dash of onion powder to mine.  Experiment away with cheeses, perhaps mozzarella or Gruyere might be good. The end result will be fantastic any way you slice it!


Artichoke Cheese Bread
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
½ cup + 2 Tablespoons sharp cheddar, shredded, divided
1/4 cup Romano cheese grated
Loaf  of French or Italian bread, sliced in half lengthwise

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all of the ingredients except for the bread, and mix well. Slice the bread in half lengthwise. I used half of a loaf, so each piece should be about 1 foot long. Remove about half of the inside of the bread. Spread the artichoke filling over the bread. Sprinkle with the extra cheese. Place in the oven for 20 minutes. Check after 15 minutes. If it is getting too brown, but the cheese is not melted, then cover with foil. Allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes. Slice and serve.