Give Your Spinach & Artichoke Dip A Second Life With Mashed Potatoes

Spinach and artichoke dip and mashed potatoes are two dishes that may not seem too similar at first, but it turns out that they're more alike than you might think — at least when it comes to how we use them. First of all, they are both in the top tier of easy, creamy comfort foods, and they can both scratch that itch when you're craving something hearty. But these two dishes can also be combined to create what is perhaps the ultimate comfort food: spinach and artichoke mashed potatoes. This mash-up (pun intended!) is not only a way to make your mashed potatoes taste even better, but it's also an interesting way to use leftover spinach and artichoke dip.

Of the many delicious ways you can use canned artichoke hearts, throwing them into a spinach dip is a tried-and-true option. But you don't have to throw out your leftover dip once the event you whipped it up for is over. Mixing your extra spinach and artichoke dip into some mashed potatoes is a great way to make a creamy dish with plenty of vegetal depth and herbal complexity. And if you're a true lover of spinach and artichoke dip, you can now use it in a fuller dish instead of searching for an excuse to eat it straight out of the bowl!

A generous helping of mashed potatoes and a delicious spinach and artichoke dip can be a great combo, but when it comes to combining two separate dishes, the power lies in keeping things simple. A simple swap you can make for mashed potatoes is to use a cream base. And conveniently, your spinach-artichoke dip (already quite creamy on its own) can act as an even more flavorful substitute in place of regular cream. All you need to do is toss in your dip after you've mashed your potatoes. 

Of course, the dish's balance will depend on how much dip you have left over, so have some cream or even extra spinach on-hand if you need to make a dip to potato ratio adjustment on the fly. If you were to make this dish from scratch, you'd need a 10-ounce pack of frozen spinach and a 14-ounce can of artichoke hearts for every 3 Yukon gold potatoes, so keep that rule of thumb in mind when adding your dip into the fold. From there, simply mix the combination of ingredients and season to your taste until everything is warmed and ready to go. If you usually add herbs and/or spices to your mashed potatoes, you certainly can here. But just remember that you've already got a more complex dish with the dip involved, so experiment in sparse amounts and adjust to your taste.

What if you've made another dip besides this spinach and artichoke one? Or what if you've already devoured this mashed potatoes variation? Luckily for you, mashed potatoes serve as a satisfying base that stays pretty neutral, allowing you to add just about any dip to it. From simple store-bought dips to delectable homemade comforts, pretty much all options are on the table here.

An incredibly easy addition is a classic chip dip flavor, such as onion or garlic and herb. These dips are often sufficiently creamy, and can add some interesting flavor complexity to your otherwise plain mashed potatoes. If you're in a pinch, or feeling a little experimental one evening, this is a near-effortless way to add some intrigue to your potatoes. Alternatively, a rich queso sounds absolutely delectable when mixed into (or even just poured onto) mashed potatoes. Add some chives and bacon bits and you have what's essentially a mashed version of a loaded baked potato. Another party staple — buffalo chicken dip — can also find an invigorated second life in your mashed potatoes; and that's just one of the myriad ways you can use up leftover buffalo chicken dip! So whether you want to do it as a simple combination or as a mad scientist's experiment, mixing dip with mashed potatoes can be a real game changer long after the big game has ended.