cheese

Quick Spinach Dip

I whipped up this warm, cheesy spinach dip yesterday afternoon in about 20 minutes using ingredients I had on-hand — including a bag of fresh spinach I had good intentions of using for salads (sigh) — and it was the perfect snack for a chilly fall afternoon of watching football. You can substitute frozen spinach for fresh, and use your favorite shredded cheeses. Jarred artichoke hearts also would be a great addition.

 

Quick Spinach Dip
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 teaspoon olive oil
  2. 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
  3. 1/2 cup finely diced onion
  4. 1 cup (packed) chopped fresh spinach
  5. 4 cloves minced garlic
  6. Dash red pepper flakes
  7. 1 teaspoon onion powder
  8. 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  9. 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
  10. 8 oz. cream cheese
  11. 1/4 cup mayo
  12. 1/2 cup sour cream
  13. 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  14. 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Heat olive oil and butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and spinach, and saute until soft, about 3 minutes.
  3. Add the minced garlic, red pepper flakes, onion powder, and herbs, and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  4. Turn heat to medium-low, and add the cream cheese. Stir constantly until melted and combined.
  5. Remove from heat, and stir in the mayo, sour cream, and parmesan cheese.
  6. Pour into a greased baking dish, and top with cheddar cheese.
  7. Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
  8. Serve with tortilla chips.
Seasoned to Impress https://seasonedtoimpress.com/

Vegetable Lasagna

What better way to use up the abundance of summer vegetables in your refrigerator than in a cheesy, crowd-pleasing pan of lasagna? No need to stick with the veggies I used; incorporate your favorites or whatever you have on-hand.

Vegetable Lasagna
Serves 8
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
30 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 3 cups marinara sauce
  2. 16 sheets of lasagna noodles
  3. 24 oz. ricotta cheese
  4. 2 cups grated mozzarella, divided
  5. 1 large egg
  6. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  7. 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  8. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  9. 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  10. 1 medium zucchini chopped, about 2 cups
  11. 1 yellow pepper chopped, about 1 cup
  12. 1/2 white onion chopped, about 1/2 cup
  13. 8 oz. white mushrooms chopped, about 2 cups
  14. 1 small eggplant chopped, about 2 cups
  15. 2 cups packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
  16. 3 cloves minced garlic
  17. 1/2 cup good red wine (I used cabernet sauvignon)
  18. 1 teaspoon salt
  19. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain in a colander, and let cool.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, egg, salt, pepper, and parley. Set aside.
  4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add all of the vegetables (zucchini, pepper, onion, mushrooms, eggplant, spinach, and garlic), and cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Remove lid and add the wine. Bring to a simmer and cook for an additional 5-8 minutes, until the wine has reduced and the vegetables are tender. Season with the salt and pepper.
  6. Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
  7. Ladle about 3/4 cup of sauce to the bottom of the pan. Add four lasagna noodles, overlapping them slightly. Spread a third of the cheese mixture on the noodles. Top the cheese with a third of the vegetables, and then drizzle with about 1/2 cup of sauce. Repeat two more times.
  8. Add the final four lasagna noodles, and top with the remaining sauce.
  9. Cover and bake for 25 minutes.
  10. Remove from oven, uncover, and top with the remaining cup of mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven, and bake for 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
  11. Let cool for about 10 minutes before cutting.
Seasoned to Impress https://seasonedtoimpress.com/

Summer Vegetable White Pizza

Trying to incorporate more vegetables into your meals? Add them to pizza! This white pizza is loaded with squash, tomatoes, and fresh basil and topped with a mix of mozzarella and creamy garlic and herb cheese. I like making my own dough, but store-bought will work just fine, too. And if you don’t have a grill, make the pizza in your oven. Read my directions here.

Grilled Summer Vegetable White Pizza
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For the Pizza Dough
  1. 2 1/4 teaspoons (.25 ounce) active dry yeast
  2. 1 teaspoon white sugar
  3. 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
  4. 2 1/2 cups bread flour
  5. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  6. 1 teaspoon salt
For the Toppings
  1. 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  2. 1 cup very thinly sliced zucchini
  3. 1 cup very thinly sliced yellow squash
  4. 1 plum tomato thinly sliced
  5. 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
  6. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  7. 8 oz. grated mozzarella cheese
  8. 2 oz. garlic and herb soft, spreadable cheese
  9. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  10. 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  11. 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  12. Red pepper flakes, to taste
For the Dough
  1. In a medium bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes.
  2. Stir in flour, salt, and oil. Kneed until smooth.
  3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cover with a damp towel. Let rest for 15 minutes.
  4. With a floured rolling pin, roll out dough to desired thickness.
  5. Transfer to a well-greased pizza pan.
For Assembling
  1. Brush rolled-out dough with olive oil.
  2. Place slices of tomatoes evenly on the crust, and sprinkle with minced garlic, dried oregano, and chopped basil.
  3. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
  4. Place slices of zucchini, yellow squash, and red onion evenly on top of the cheese.
  5. Season with kosher salt and red pepper flakes.
  6. Add small spoonfuls of garlic herb cheese evenly on pizza.
For Grilling
  1. Turn on all burners of the grill, and preheat to 450-500 degrees for at least 5 minutes.
  2. Spray or brush the grill grates with cooking spray or oil.
  3. Place the pizza on the pan on the grill grates. Close the grill lid, and turn all burners down to low (to heat the top of the pizza) for about 5-8 minutes.
  4. After that amount of time, with a potholder, grab ahold of the pizza pan, and gently shake it to test whether the dough is loose from the pan. If it's not loose, close the lid of the grill and cook for an additional minute or so. If it's loose from the pan, gently slide the pizza off the pan and onto the grates of grill (you might need to gently slide a spatula under the crust).
  5. Turn all burners to medium heat, and close the lid. With a metal spatula, rotate pizza 45 degrees every 30-60 seconds, until the crust is evenly crisp.
  6. Slide pizza back onto pan, and cut and serve.
Adapted from Annie's Eats
Adapted from Annie's Eats
Seasoned to Impress https://seasonedtoimpress.com/