Made with rich ricotta cheese, fragrant Italian herbs, and flavorful sundried tomatoes, this dip is a symphony of flavors in every bite.
Impress your guests at your next gathering or simply treat yourself to a gourmet snack that’s easy to prepare and oh-so-delicious!
Grab Your Ingredients
This is one of those back pocket recipes as my Mom used to say. Something that took mere minutes to throw together, required no cooking, and always a crowd favorite.
- Ricotta Cheese – You want a New York Style ricotta. It’s full cream, large curd and it’s drier which means it’s not going to weep. Plus it has an amazing taste and you don’t have to strain/drain it. I LOVE Polly-O New York Style (TLC) Ricotta *See below if you can’t find this
- Freshly Grated Parmesan
Whip It Up
- In a 4-cup food processor add the ricotta, seasoning, cheese, sundried tomatoes, olive oil, and fresh basil. Put the lid on and process for 15 seconds.
- Shut it off, remove the lid, scrape down the sides. Put the lid back on and process for another 20 seconds or until well combined, I left mine to where I could still see flecks of the sundried tomatoes.
The 4-cup food processor you see me use I absolutely LOVE! I have been looking for a new one for years and this was is amazing! I’ve had it for 8-10 months and have zero complaints Defintely a must have!
The Best Savory Ricotta Dip
Is it a spread or is it a dip? Honestly it’s kind of both, We used it as a spread on crostini but I friggen love it with cucumbers, peppers and radishes!
To serve I drizzled on a bit more olive oil, a few chopped sundried tomatoes, sprinkle of grated Parmesan and basil.
FYI… this on your bagel or toast with breakfast is INSANE!!!
The Perfect Grazing Board Addition
This is one of those dips that have been on repeat on all of our grazing boards for a while now. It was such a huge hit during football season as it travels well and is a great gathering snack.
Game night with our friends this is always the first thing to go. Honestly, I tend to make a double batch as it goes so fast.
“Fancy Food”
The day I was making this to photograph, we had friends over. They are used to coming over and knowing I’m in my studio working but that good food will come out of it when I’m done.
I walk out carrying the tray below and the look of whoa!!! was priceless. It got quiet and they all gathered around the kitchen island as I set it down. Of course, the first thing out of Mr. Fantabulous’s mouth was “Can we eat this?” followed by “what is is?” lol
I chuckled and explained what it was and how I would suggest making the crostini. As they were all eating it one woman said “This is such fancy food. We don’t make stuff like this but we need to as it’s so good!”
I explained how it took 5 minutes to make and that it should rest in the fridge for 30 to marry the flavors but you can definitely eat it now. I loved that she called it fancy food as to me it’s just toast with stuff on it.
However, it’s definitely different than stuff I grew up eating – saltines with American cheese or Ritz Crackers (when we could afford them) with cheese and sliced kielbasa.
Italian Crostini Heaven
It’s pretty much a guarantee that at all times, in my fridge, I will have prosciutto, heirloom tomatoes, ricotta, and assorted crostini toppings. I literally created this recipe around those ingredients.
In a follow on recipe, I’ll show you a variety of ways to use this for a grazing board, appetizers, or simply a delicious snack for you.
So stay tuned for that but make sure you do have this specific Balsamic Glaze. It’s INCREDIBLE!
Recipe Additions and Substitutions
Do y’all love this part of recipe posts as much as I do? I so love playing with my food as my Mom would say!
- Veggies: olives, artichokes, roasted peppers, and caramelized cippolini onions would be great in this
- Cheese: swap out the parmesan for a different hard-grated cheese or go smoky with Gouda
- Cream Cheese: this or mascarpone can be used in place of ricotta but you may need to add a bit more olive oil and it won’t be the same flavor profile as ricotta
- Ricotta – if you cannot find the brand I use, buy whole milk one and you’ll have to strain it. You’ll need a cheesecloth, strainer, rubber spatula, and bowl for catching the liquid
- Place the strainer over a bowl and line it with cheesecloth.
- Add the ricotta, use the spatula to gently push & spread it around in an even layer in the cheesecloth.
- Cover the strainer/bowl with plastic wrap and set it in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
- the next day, discard the liquid and use the remaining ricotta.
Easy One Bowl Italian Herb Ricotta Dip with Sundried Tomatoes
Made with rich ricotta cheese, fragrant Italian herbs, and flavorful sundried tomatoes, this dip is a symphony of flavors in every bite.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 minute
- Total Time: 6 minutes + chill
- Category: dips, appetizers, italian, grazing tables, grazing boards, party foods, snacks, cheesy
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: dips, appetizers, italian, grazing tables, grazing boards, party foods, snacks, cheesy
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups New York Style Ricotta (whole milk)
- 3 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons Chupacabra Italian Seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons sundried tomatoes (in oil)
- 4 Tablespoons grated freshly Parmesan (American Grana is the best)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- In a 4-cup food processor add the ricotta, seasoning, cheese, sundried tomatoes, olive oil, and fresh basil. Put the lid on and process for 15 seconds. Shut it off, remove the lid, scrape down the sides. Put the lid back on and process for another 20 seconds or until well combined, I left mine to where I could still see flecks of the sundried tomatoes.
- Transfer to a serving bowl, cover and chill for 30 minutes. Right before serving, drizzle on some more olive oil and if desired, a couple minced sundried tomatoes.
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