Cheesy Artichoke Stuffed French Bread

Warm and gooey Cheesy Artichoke Stuffed French Bread makes a tasty appetizer, snack or accompaniment to a light meal.

This recipe for Cheesy Artichoke Stuffed French Bread has been in my recipe file for years and I've never made it until now. Why did I wait so long? It's delicious! I can't say I'm a great lover of marinated artichoke hearts but once they are mixed with the rest of the ingredients the flavours really complement each other and make a very tasty filling for the bread. The artichoke hearts could be compared to Cinderella turning into a princess, ha, ha.

I'll be making this Stuffed French Bread again as we both enjoyed it very much. We had it on it's own for a light supper when I first took it out of the oven. I also took one half to church to serve instead of sandwiches with a soup dinner we were having. It reheated lovely wrapped in foil. I cut the pieces smaller so more could have a taste. There were loads of sandwiches that others had brought so everyone was well fed.

Canned Green Chilies are hard to find in my grocery stores. I have been substituting bottled jalapeño peppers but I find they are much hotter than the green chilies so I have been using them very sparingly. I finally found a can of the elusive peppers and used about half a can (for our delicate tongues).

If you have a large bottle of marinated artichoke hearts measure just barely over 2 cups to use in place of the three smaller bottles.

Printable recipe at end of post.

Cheesy Artichoke Stuffed French Bread

• 1 loaf unsliced French bread
• Approximately 2-3 tablespoons soft butter
• 3 jars (170 mL each) marinated quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)
• 1½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers (Pepper Jack) 
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 can (114 mL) chopped green chilies or to taste
• 1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 or 3 green onions, sliced plus extra for garnish
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut bread in half lengthwise and carefully hollow out top and bottom of loaf, leaving 1/2-inch shell around each loaf half. Cube or tear in small pieces the removed bread and set aside. Butter the outside of each loaf half and around the edges.

Chop the artichoke removing any coarse outer leaves that may be hard to chew. In a large bowl, combine the artichokes, Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, green chilies, garlic, sliced green onions and 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Add reserved bread  cubes and toss to coat. Spoon filling into bread shells, dividing evenly. Sprinkle with remaining cup of  Cheddar cheese.  Place the loaf halves on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover with foil. (Use non stick foil if you have it or spray the foil with pan spray to keep the cheese from sticking.) Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until heated through. 

When removed from oven let sit 5 minutes. Garnish with sliced green onions. Slice bread and serve while very warm. 

Makes 16-20 servings.

Choose the highest loaf of French bread you can find. This is not a French baguette but an American/Canadian loaf called "French Bread". You will find this in most grocery store bakeries or you can make your own.

Cut bread in half lengthwise.  

Carefully hollow out top and bottom of loaf, leaving 1/2-inch shell around each loaf half.

 Cube or tear the removed bread in small pieces and set aside. 

Butter the outside of each loaf half and around the edges.

Rinse and drain the artichokes. Give the artichokes a rough chop removing and discarding any tough outer leaves. 

Put all the ingredients for the filling together in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

Add the reserved bread cubes and mix to coat all the bread.

Divide the filling between the two loaf halves. Sprinkle the remaining cup of cheese over the stuffed halves.

Place the two halves on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Cover the stuffed bread with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

Garnish the baked bread with a few slices of green onion.

Let the bread sit about 5 minutes before cutting. You should get 16-20 servings altogether from both halves.

Cheesy Artichoke Stuffed French Bread makes a tasty appetizer, snack or accompaniment to a light meal.

Warm and gooey Cheesy Artichoke Stuffed French Bread.

To print click on arrow upper right side.⇩