Roast red pepper artichoke dip is one of my favourite quick recipes for a light and tasty appetizer for almost any occasion. I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m not really a huge fan of bell peppers as a principle flavour. Mixed in among other ingredients and working in concert to create a flavour profile? Yes. This is a shining example of that relationship I have with the illustrious bell pepper.
I love cream cheese; I even like artichokes (albeit not as much as cream cheese). Artichoke dip, you say? Oh, yes please. Blend in a bit of roasted red pepper with that? Well, I must admit I was a bit reluctant at first, but if the balance is right, I give it a big thumbs- up.
Even since I swore off dairy (mainly for health reasons), I still had to fight to resist a good cream cheese dip. Now that there are dairy-free alternatives on the market for cream cheese, I can bring this old favourite recipe back and share it with you here.
This Recipe is a crowd pleaser on so many levels. It can really wake up your sandwiches, it definitely spruces up any appetizer platter. Get-together with friends? This is a failsafe addition to the snacks table. And at only 10 ingredients, it’s a snap to make.
Years ago, when I owned my catering company, this was a best seller on my appetizer/hors d’oeuvre menu. As well, it was a favourite among my deli case items. On occasion, I’d jazz it up a bit with adding goat cheese and serve it in a sourdough bread bowl. There’s no reason why you couldn’t as well.
So, next time you’re having a little get-together or just feel like making your daily sandwich routine a bit more exciting, give the roast red pepper artichoke dip a try.
You’d be glad you did.
Roast red pepper artichoke dip
Equipment
- food processor, sheet pan, mixing bowl, oven
Ingredients
- 1 250gr block cream cheese I use a vegan version made by Daiya.
- 2 14oz tins artichoke hearts
- 1 whole roasted red pepper see the pro tip on my page
- 5 cloves roasted garlic also see my page for the pro tip on this
- 1 whole shallot peeled
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Combine all the ingredients except the cream cheese and roasted peppers in a bowl and place it on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 25 minutes.
- Once it comes out of the oven, allow it to cool a bit to avoid burning yourself and damaging your food processor.
- Put the roasted red pepper in the food processor and blend until smooth. Gradually add the roasted atrichokes, garlic and shallots until smooth.
- Once they're all pureed smooth, add the cream cheese and blend it in until smooth.
- Remove and place in whatever dish you like. Serve as a dip or use as a sandwich spread.
- Enjoy!