Whipped Ricotta Dip with Roasted Tomatoes and Herbs
This Whipped Ricotta Dip with bursting roasted tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs is a delicious & easy healthy appetizer! The creamy texture of the ricotta almost melts into the tomatoes and the best part is you can prep the ricotta in advance and just roast the tomatoes to add on top when time comes to serve it. 😊
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 oz ricotta cheese
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided (you'll use 1 tablespoon for the ricotta and 2 tablespoon for the tomatoes)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, sliced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (for tomatoes) + more for ricotta (I use ~¼ teaspoon for the ricotta)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 squeeze fresh lemon juice (optional)
- 1 drizzle honey, hot honey, or balsamic glaze (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177°C). In a glass baking dish or casserole dish, combine the tomatoes, sliced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Give it a good stir and add the rosemary and thyme on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the tomatoes are almost bursting.
- While the tomatoes roast, whip the ricotta cheese with olive oil and a little salt until it's smooth, about 1-2 minutes. You can do this in a food processor or with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Add the creamy whipped ricotta dip to a serving bowl. Smooth it out with the back of a spoon.
- When the tomatoes are done, toss the thyme and rosemary. Gently mash about half of the tomatoes with the back of a spoon to release their juice. Add the tomatoes on top of the ricotta dip. Spoon some of the excess liquid from the tomatoes over everything and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Optional: add a drizzle of honey or balsamic glaze and fresh basil.
Video
Notes
Expert Tips
- Drain the excess liquid from the ricotta cheese before whipping it. This will give you a creamier consistency.
- Give the ricotta a taste and add more salt as needed. It won't have a ton of flavor on it's own since ricotta is a mild cheese, so keep in mind that once you add the tomatoes it'll have a lot more flavor.
- Keep an eye on the garlic and tomatoes around 20 minutes to be sure not to burn the garlic.
- I suggest not stirring the whipped ricotta dip with the tomatoes...just serve it as is and let people mix it up when they dip into it!
- Prep - prep ahead of time by whipping the ricotta cheese with a tablespoon of the olive oil and a little salt. Store in the fridge until you're ready to serve. I suggest roasting the tomatoes right before serving the dip but if you don't have time for that, you can absolutely roast in advance and store in the fridge for 1-2 days until ready to assemble!
- Storage - store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
For more nutrition information and tips, visit mallorythedietitian.com. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! 😊
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!