You won’t believe the simple, pantry-friendly ingredient swaps we used to make our Slow Cooker Cajun Spinach and Artichoke Dip. This is the perfect low carb, low sodium slow cooker appetizer recipe for the holiday season. 

Before scrolling down to the recipe, be sure to read my easy tips for making your recipes low carb, keto friendly, lower sodium, and delicious.

Note: I am thrilled to announce this post is sponsored by my fabulous friends at Tony Chachere’s, however, as always, all opinions are my own. 

CHECK OUR OUR STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO

Question Time: What is your favorite holiday appetizer?

While the weather in Louisiana may not be cooperating with the Fall (translation – it is still pretty warm), the holiday season is quickly approaching! Time for family, fun, festivities, and FOOD.  Growing up in Bayou Country, our holidays always revolve around food, food, and more food (with lots of hugs and laughs as well!). 

Many of us follow the main holiday food traditions of turkey on Thanksgiving and candy canes on Christmas presents, as well as start to develop our own personal food traditions. Marrying a Yankee (ok, so he is from the Midwest and Polish) has changed my entire New Year’s Day feast from ham and cabbage to sauerkraut and dumplings, and my big secret of the lack of loving the turkey (it’s just ok to me) has transitioned my Thanksgiving to a pure seafood feast. No matter what meal you chose, traditional or personalized, the kitchen is packed with prep, people, and pressure.

Burners are taken, the oven is full, and prep time is limited. Guest are arriving while the bird is still in the oven (or in my case seafood cooking away) and our loving family starts to question, ‘When are we eating?’ 

The meal won’t be ready for another hour, and a vegetable tray is just boring, so what can feed our once loving family (who are now behaving like zombies on the Walking Dead). It is time to take out our trusty slow cooker for an easy ‘dump’ appetizer.

Skinny Louisiana Drawing Board!

It’s time to take our popular slow cooker holidays appetizers to Skinny Louisiana drawing board to keep the festive flavor while cutting the carbs and sodium. And what better traditional appetizer to transform than spinach and artichoke dip. The most important parts of our transformation? I needed my Yankee husband (Greg) and 2 kids to eat this dish, while making sure I don’t steal valuable prep time space in the kitchen. Start this dish in the morning and with a few simple ingredient swaps and a little help from our friends at Tony Chachere’s, we transformed the classic Spinach and Artichoke Dip to a low carb, low sodium appetizer for the holiday season.

Where to Shop for Low Carb Ingredients

Before I go over ingredients, know the items used in this recipe can be found at many of your local supermarkets and Drug Emporium. Many of you know my love of Drug Emporium stores. Not only does Drug Emporium have amazing prices (often the cheapest in town), I work with this amazing company in putting on Low Carb Food Demonstrations and product selection for shelves. No Drug Emporium in your town? No worries, you will be able to find the items at your local supermarkets. 

Ingredients in our Slow Cooker Cajun Spinach and Artichoke Dip:

• Onion
• Frozen spinach
• Artichoke hearts
• Cream cheese (can use 1/3 fat cream cheese)
• Sour cream
• Mozzarella cheese
• Tony Chachere’s No Salt Seasoning Blend OR
• Tony Chachere’s Spice N Herbs Seasoning Blend
• Mission carb balance wraps

Low Carb, Low Sodium Ingredients in our Slow Cooker Cajun Spinach and Artichoke Dip:

Tony Chachere’s No Salt Seasoning Blend (LINK)

Looking for flavor? Salt has always been the answer for flavor, but coming in at 2300 mg of sodium in ONLY 1 tsp (yes, the small spoon), salt can wreak havoc for our heart health. I will be the first to agree, foods without salt that use other ‘salt substitutes’ are … terrible. I’m Cajun. I need flavor. Enter Tony Chachere’s No Salt Seasoning Blend. Don’t panic, this blend contains ZERO salt substitutes, making it safe for our families with renal (kidney) disease. The taste? Amazing. Or…..

Tony Chachere’s Spice N Herbs Seasoning Blend

Continuing on the honestly train, I need my food to taste seasoned! Containing zero carbs AND a whole lot of kick, Tony Chachere’s Spice N Herbs Seasoning Blend gives this dish a POW without hiking up the sodium content. 

Mission Carb Balance Wraps

Used to make our Shelly’s Skinny Chips, these tortilla chips are a huge source fiber, making the net carb quite low. If you don’t want to use Mission Carb Balance Wraps, be sure to look for chips low in net carbs.

Slow Cooker Cajun Spinach and Artichoke Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 10 oz. pkg. of frozen spinach, thawed
• 2 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 8 oz. pkg.1/3 fat* cream cheese (Keto can do full fat)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp. Tony Chachere’s Spice N’ Herbs Seasoning
• Whisp, Parm Crisp, or Shelly’s Skinny Chips

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours.
• Serve with Whips, Park Crisp, or Shelly’s Skinny Chips*.

*Shelly’s Skinny Chips Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 large Mission Carb Balance Tortillas
• Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
• Cut tortillas evenly into 8 triangles.
• Spray triangles with non-stick cooking spray.
• Place on baking sheet.
• Bake for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and flip chips over on baking sheet.  
• Return to oven and bake an additional 3 minutes.  
• Remove from oven.  Serve.

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF OUR RECIPE!!

https://skinnylouisiana.lpages.co/slow-cooker-cajun-spinach-and-artichoke-dip-low-carb

Yield: 24 servings (2 tablespoons)

Nutrition Facts per Serving (DIP ONLY): Calories: 90, Total fat: 5g, Saturated fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 200 mg, Carbs: 5g, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: <1g, Protein: 6g. 

NET CARBS: 3g.

Nutrition Facts per Serving (4 CHIPS): Calories: 120, Total fat: 1.5g, Saturated fat: .75g, Sodium: 150mg, Carbs: 9.5g, Fiber: 7.5g, Sugar: 0g, Protein: 2.7g.

NET CARBS: 2g.

Carb count exclude sugar alcohols. New carb count is determined with the equation total carbohydrate – total fiber – sugar alcohol.

You can purchase Skinny Louisiana … in the Kitchen at the following link.

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This recipe was developed and copyright by culinary dietitian Shelly Marie Redmond. She is the author of Skinny Louisiana…in the Kitchen and Skinny Louisiana…in the Slow Cooker. She practices out of Eberhart Physical Therapy which she co-owns with her husband Greg. In her spare time, she watches Snapped and Investigation Discovery.