Warm Spinach-White Bean Dip with Crudites

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Servings:
12
Yield:
3 cups

Unlike traditional spinach dips, which are built around sour cream, this version gets its luscious texture from pureed part-skim ricotta cheese and fiber-rich cannellini beans.

Ingredients

For The Dip

  • 5 ounces baby spinach (3 cups)

  • 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

  • 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

  • 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest

  • 1 ¼ teaspoons coarse salt

  • Freshly ground pepper

For the Crudites

  • 1 fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced

  • 1 bunch radishes (about 6), halved, greens trimmed but left intact

  • 12 small carrots, greens trimmed but left intact

  • ½ large head cauliflower (about 1 pound), cut into florets and thinly sliced

  • 3 stalks celery, halved lengthwise and then crosswise

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the dip: Wash spinach, leaving some water clinging to the leaves. Transfer to a large saucepan. Cover, and steam spinach over medium heat, stirring once, until wilted, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove spinach using a slotted spoon, and let cool. Squeeze out excess liquid using a kitchen towel; coarsely chop.

  2. Pulse ricotta and cannellini beans in a food processor until smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Add chives, lemon zest, and salt. Season with pepper. Stir in spinach. Transfer to a 1-quart baking dish.

  3. Bake until bubbling, about 30 minutes. Season with pepper. Serve warm with crudites.

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