The Super Bowl is almost upon us, so it’s prime time for menu planning!

There have never been more options for snack foods, especially with the advent of videos online displaying creative concoctions in all their glory. But one party gathering food remains steadfast in these times of change: A hot, cheesy dip.

A hot dip is the linchpin of any gathering. Everyone loves dip, it’s a real crowd pleaser. Plus, they are fairly sizable in volume, so if you’re at all worried about having enough food to fill your guests, you can relax a little with a winning dip on hand. Finally, dip is easy to make. It generally involves just mixing a few ingredients in a bowl and heating them up. So no time wasted fiddling with artfully-arranged finger foods, when you could be putting final touches on your Super Bowl bets.

Below are two no-fail dip recipes. Either one on its own makes a great snack for around 8 people, or make both at once. Just remember to stock up on a big bag of nacho chips and pita bread to go with them.

Roasted Red Pepper Goat Cheese Dip

10 oz package of goat cheese
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and diced
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 tsp dried basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an oven safe dish.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until goat cheese is relatively smooth in texture. Spoon into oven safe dish, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until top layer begins to bubble.

Use a pizza cutter to cut pita bread rounds into small triangles. Serve dip with pita triangles and/or nacho chips.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

8 oz package cream cheese
8 oz container sour cream
1 package frozen spinach, drained and chopped
1 can artichoke hearts or quarters, drained and chopped
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 tsp dried basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an oven-safe dish.

Let spinach thaw in a colander, to help drain out the water. Draining the water from the spinach is a tricky job; there are a few different ways to approach it. Make sure to wash your hands directly before! Press down on the spinach in the colander to expel water through the colander’s holes. Pressing with paper towels can help to absorb the water that rises to the top as you press down. You can also pick up handfuls of spinach and squeeze out the water, then transfer to a cutting board to be roughly chopped.

Chop the spinach and drained artichoke pieces.

In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese and sour cream for one minute with a hand mixer, until smooth.

Add spinach, artichokes, parmesan cheese, garlic, and basil to the cream cheese mixture. Stir until everything is incorporated. Stir in half the shredded cheddar. Spoon into oven-safe dish and top with remaining cheddar cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until top layer begins to bubble. Use a pizza cutter to cut pita bread rounds into small triangles. Serve dip with pita triangles and/or nacho chips.

Alexandra MacRae works for Fix.com, which provides all sorts of helpful tips for health, fitness and activities.