As I was putting together the menu for my mom’s 55th birthday celebration, her Ina Garten themed dinner party, I knew that I wanted some appetizers that were quick to make. I wanted to be able to have the appetizers ready and out on the coffee table before everyone arrived, so I could really focus on the dinner. I decided to make a couple different dips that you could use with crackers, chips, or even vegetables! As I flipped through the two Ina Garten cookbooks that I borrowed (stole) from my mom, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics and Barefoot Contessa Family Style, I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for, so I decided to look online!
What’s great about the Barefoot Contessa Website, is that if you don’t happen to own one of the particular cookbooks, you can still find the recipes! I came across a yummy looking recipe for a Sun-Dried Tomato Dip, which actually comes from the original The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. I whipped it up the morning of the dinner party and stored it in the refrigerator until serving. I thought it was great! However, I did let my mom take home the leftovers (lucky her!) and she said the next day it was AMAZING and 10 times better! Based on that feedback, I would definitely recommend making this the night before you plan to serve it so the flavors can really mix together. That seems to be the trick to making a great dip even better!!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 10 dashes of hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 scallions
Instructions
- It is best to make this recipe the night before you plan on serving it to allow the flavors to mix together well.
- Let your cream cheese sit out to soften.
- Drain the sun-dried tomatoes from the oil. Chop about 8 tomatoes to make 1/4 cup.
- Thinly slice the scallions and set aside.
- Using a food processor, puree the sun-dried tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, hot sauce, and salt.
- Once everything is well blended, add in the sliced scallions and pulse the food processor twice.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Serve with crackers, chips, or vegetables!
Recipe adapted from Ina Garten’s “Sun-Dried Tomato Dip Recipe” from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.
[…] herb flavor! I had sliced cheese out to go with the crackers, but everyone also started using the Sun-Dried Tomato Dip as a spread for on top of the crackers too! What a great […]