Courteney Cox’s Better-for-You Artichoke Dip Is One for the Books

Courteney Cox is known for her role as the iconic Monica Geller on Friends, but it turns out that she’s also quite the foodie. She’s bestowed plenty of simple recipes for pastas, chocolatey desserts and weeknight dinners upon her Instagram followers. She even showed the world how easy it is to bake a whole chicken with only five ingredients. Now, we find ourselves salivating over an appetizer she shared over the holidays that you’ll want to keep in your back pocket for your next party: artichoke dip.

Cox says the recipe, which is actually her sister’s, has “half the calories” of regular artichoke dip. And we’d venture to say that’s probably true: Most artichoke dips contain a boatload of cream cheese and sour cream, both of which are pretty decadent and high in fat, but this version leans on two lighter cheeses—mozzarella and Parmesan—and a little bit of mayonnaise for its creaminess. If you use skim mozzarella and light mayo, it’ll be even leaner.

Nutrition aside, we love that this recipe allows the briny, herbaceous artichokes to shine. Instead of the tiny flakes you usually see dispersed throughout the dip, there are toothsome chunks of them in every bite. (Note that there’s no spinach involved here, but you can totally add it to the dish if you prefer that timeless combo.)

For a creamy, silky consistency, shred the cheeses yourself, as pre-shredded cheeses are packaged with added ingredients to prevent clumping. But if you’re short on time (or um, just don’t feel like doing the extra work), go ahead and use pre-shredded: The dip will still turn out tasty.

Here’s what you’ll need to make Courteney Cox’s artichoke dip at home.

Ingredients

• Two 14-ounce cans quartered artichoke hearts
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ⅔ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Pour the artichoke hearts into a colander to drain. Then, place them in a mixing bowl and break or cut them into bite-size chunks.

Step 2: Add the mayonnaise to the bowl, along with most of the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Mix it all together until evenly combined.

Step 3: Spread the mixture around in a shallow baking dish. Top it with the reserved cheese and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the dip turns golden brown.