Hot and cheesy imitation crab and artichoke dip, serve this with baked chips and you have the perfect appetizer for a party.
My husband was craving an imitation crab meat salad and we made the mistake of going food shopping hungry... at a wholesale store no less, so we came home with 3 lbs of imitation crab meat!
What to do with all that imitation crab? I decided to make a hot dip with it using ingredients I had on hand.
I can see using a good light Swiss, such as Jarlsburg or a light mozzarella instead of cheddar, but all I had was cheddar and I thought it was fine.
This is large enough to feed a crowd. If you don't want as much, you can certainly make half or freeze half for later. Make this a day ahead, then pop it in the oven before you are ready to serve. Let me remind you, this is a dip, so the serving size is 1/4 cup which I think is pretty average knowing people will pick on other stuff. Only 2 points plus per serving, I had to double check and see if I was wrong!
I tried this with pretzel thins, baked lentil chips (pictured here), baked corn chips.. it was great with all. Use what you like, and if you prefer to use real lump crab, go for it! You can even sprinkle some panko on top before baking... I would have but didn't have any.
Hot and Cheesy Crab and Artichoke Dip
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 16 • Size: 1/4 cup dip • Old Pts: 2 pts • WW Points+: 2 pts
Calories: 78 • Fat: 4 g • Carb: 4 g • Fiber: 0 g • Protein: 6 g • Sugar: 0 g
Sodium: 427 mg
Ingredients:
- 14 oz can artichoke hearts packed in water, drained (8.5 oz dry wt)
- 1 lb crab meat, imitation or lump
- 2 tbsp chives
- 6 tbsp reduced fat sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
- 6 tbsp light mayonnaise (Hellman's)
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cups shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 - 2 tsp tabasco sauce
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°.
Drain the artichoke hearts and chop fine. Chop the crab meat fine. Add them to a medium bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix well using a rubber spatula, then transfer into a shallow baking dish.
Bake until the cheese is melted and the top becomes golden, about 30 minutes. Serve hot with baked chips.
Makes 4 cups.






















I will definitely be making this for NYE... will report back :-)
ReplyDeleteMe too, just added the things to my grocery list. Thanks ;o))
ReplyDeleteCould you use canned chunk crab meat in this instead without skewing the nutrition negatively? I have found canned crab to be a bit more crabby tasting then the imitation stuff and sometimes even cheaper
ReplyDelete.
Sure, it should be relatively the same.
Deletei can't wait to make this dip thats my kind of recipe thank you
DeleteI love the addition of the crab meat to this dip!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds wonderful - we just snacked on some crab dip at Christmas and I haven't stopped thinking about it - yum!
ReplyDeletePerfect timing! I was looking for a light hot crab recipe and could not find one anywhere, so I was about to give up and go with a full fat version, but saw this just in time. Thanks Gina, I can't wait to try it : )
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh, this looks delish!
ReplyDeleteabsolutely cannot STAND the taste or texture of "imitation" crab...but I suppose I could use the real thing instead! right?
ReplyDeleteYes, of course (I mentioned that in my post)
DeleteGina, Where do I find baked lentil chips?
ReplyDeleteI found them in the healthy aisle at Stop and Shop, any baked chip will be great though.
DeleteSounds amazing! :-) Anything cheesy is right up my alley! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'd love the recipe for the crab salad your husband was craving! We love seafood salad/crab salad.
ReplyDeleteThe full-fat version of this dip is one of my favorite appetizers but I never make it because of the fat content. Thanks so much for coming up with a lighter version! I think I will make this with real crab for New Year's Eve!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this light version!! Excited to taste this!
ReplyDeleteCan I use anything besides artichoke?
ReplyDeleteI have leftover shrimp and all the other ingredients on hand, so I think I'll try it with shrimp and see how it turns out. :)
ReplyDeleteThis would be amazing with Gouda Cheese! :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent tips & method about recipes, you have a wide range of indian recipes list available, helpful site - thanks
ReplyDeleteIndian Racipes
Yummy- definitely going to make this next week! Carol
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I wanted to check in with you and let you know that I'm still running everyday. Today will be day 31, and I'm proud that I've done my mile everyday since I committed to doing it. I hope you are still running every day too.
I am about to go to the store and make this for my lunch forget waiting until next week. LOL Thanks Gina for sharing!!!! -Lita
ReplyDeleteCould you use frozen artichoke hearts that have been thawed? This sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteSure, wish I could find those in my supermarket.
DeleteI would like to try it with chicken since I do not like seafood
ReplyDeleteMade this for me and my fiance tonight. It was DELISH!!! Super quick and easy to whip up too. I loved that it wasn't really heavy or too rich. It definitely goes on the "make again" list. Thanks so much, Gina!!!
ReplyDeleteIs it ok to freeze either before or after baking? Would like to make half for one night and another for a week later.
ReplyDeleteSure, freeze before.
DeleteSorry, I just reread this and the answer is there. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteSounds delicious. I'll be trying this for my daughter's appetizer party.
ReplyDeletesaw it on Pinterest, made it today, love it!
ReplyDeleteHey Gina, I always wondered, how do you calculate the nutritional information when you make up recipes? I often experiment, but if I make up a recipe myself I don't know how to calculate the calories and fat content in it.
ReplyDeleteThere is a recipe calculator app. I love using it! Google it.
DeleteThanks, I'll try it out!
DeleteI made this last night for a party, everyone loved it. We used real backfin crab and I added some old bay to it. Def easy and a keeper!
ReplyDeleteI just pinned this, but I am wondering if you think I can put it in a crock pot?
ReplyDeleteBack to say that I made this tonight! So easy and so delicious! Hubby is notoriously picky and overly honest when it comes to new foods; he loved it! Thank you for the perfect recipe to start our night!
ReplyDeleteI made this for a New Year's Day party. I added a tablespoon of minced garlic. What a hit. It was fantastic. I even saw someone ask the hostess for a bowl which he filled and ate with no compunction! Kudos!
ReplyDeleteYUMMMYYYY
ReplyDeleteIs it ok to make ahead of time and keep in the fridge for a day before baking it?
ReplyDeleteOMG this is so good, I made this not for a dip, but as a filling/stuffing... I stuffed mushrooms,salmon and made an open face sandwich on sourdough bread, its amazing so good low in calories will be one of my go to fillings/stuffings. I did cut the recipe in half and added fresh minced jalapenos. This will be served a lot in 2013 in my home... Thanks for the recipe..
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to use this as a stuffing!
DeleteWhat a great idea to use this as a stuffing!
DeleteI second the request for the imitation crab meat salad!
ReplyDeleteOh, my, this is delicious, easy, and deceiving! You'd never know that a serving is only two WW points! I followed the recipe exactly, using one 16-oz. can of blue crab. I ate two servings with one cut-up bell pepper, and I am full and happy. The house smells like a seafood restaurant! This will definitely be a go-to recipe for entertaining from now on!
ReplyDeleteI make a similar dish but to make it heathier and protein rich I use a soft and creamy tofu to replace half of the mayo and sour cream. Turns out wonderful :-)
ReplyDeleteif using canned crab meat how many cans would you use?
ReplyDeleteOMG that dip looks AMAZING! I can't wait to try this!
ReplyDeleteSo funny - I did the same thing as you and your husband - ended up one day at Costco with an imitation crab meat salad craving and walked away buying way more crab meat than we could possibly eat.....so this was a perfect find - i actually substituted the artichoke hearts (my husband won't eat them) with fresh sauteed spinach with garlic and it came out great - next time I want to try with real crab meat though and add in the panko as you had suggested above -thanks so much for the awesome ideas! i agree with the other comments though, would love your recipe for crab meat salad as well!
ReplyDeleteWhat could be used in place of the mayo???
ReplyDelete