Currently obsessing over spring veggies, and what better what to highlight them than with a hot cheesy dip? This dip spotlights beautiful green #leeks enhanced with spinach and a little garlic. If you like cooking with leeks, you know they don’t need a lot of help to shine, and this dish proves just that. Serve it up with some grilled baguette and seasonal crudité (check out the rainbow carrots in the pic 😍) and you’ve got an easy dip you’ll be making on repeat.
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients
1 leek, tough green tops removed, sliced into thin half moon rounds
Salt to taste
1 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of fresh spinach leaves
1 brick (250 g) cream cheese
50 grams of feta, divided
Zest and juice of half a lemon
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 cup of mozzarella cheese, grated
To Serve
Grilled Baguette
Crudité (such as carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, sliced bell pepper)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. To a large skillet, add the butter and olive oil. Heat over medium high, then add the leeks and a pinch of salt. Stirring constantly, sauté for about 8 minutes, until the leeks begin to develop brown spots, then add the garlic. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat.
2. Once off of the heat, stir in the spinach. Stir until the spinach wilts down.
3. Add the leek mixture, the cream cheese, and the feta to a food processor. Reserve about 1 tbs of feta for garnishing. Process until you have a smooth, creamy paste, and the cream cheese and feta have been completely blended. Transfer to a bowl.
4. To the leek paste, add the lemon zest and juice, mayonnaise, and the mozzarella cheese. Mix very well to fully combine everything. Taste for salt, and add more if needed.
5. Transfer the dip to a baking dish, and top with the remaining feta crumbles. Bake for 18 minutes. Serve the dip hot with the baguette and vegetables.