Hot & Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower And Spinach Dip, And Letting My Cravings Do The Cooking

Hot & Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower and Spinach Dip with White Cheddar and Gruyere Cheeses, with Roasted Garlic and a touch of Spice
by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

Yield: Serves about 6

Ingredients:

• 2 heads garlic
• Olive oil
• 6 ounces (about half of a 12 ounce bag) cauliflower florets
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• Paprika
• ¼ teaspoon granulated onion
• ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
• 12 ounces light cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup light sour cream
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• ¼ cup grated parmesan
• 1 ¼ cups white cheddar & gruyere cheese blend, shredded, divided use (I bought a block at Trader Joes)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, for a little extra for garnish
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ¼ teaspoon herbs de Provence, plus a pinch for garnish
• 1 tablespoon white wine (or substitute about 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice, if preferred)
• 1 cup, tightly packed, raw baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
• Chips for dipping

Preparation:

-Preheat the oven to 400°, and line a baking sheet with foil; also, lightly mist a small/medium-sized baking dish with cooking spray.

-Cut the tops off of the heads of garlic; place each of the heads onto a small square of foil, drizzle with a touch of olive oil, wrap tightly, and place into the hot oven directly onto the wire rack.

-Next, toss the cauliflower florets with a generous drizzle of the olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, a pinch of the black pepper, a pinch of the cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon of the paprika, and the onion and garlic granules, and turn that out onto the foil-lined baking sheet; place into the oven next to the foil-wrapped garlic about 10 minutes after the garlic was put in, and roast together for 30 minutes more, until cauliflower is slightly charred and soft, and garlic is soft and aromatic.

-Remove the cauliflower and garlic heads from the oven, and turn the oven up to 450°.

-Unwrap the garlic heads from the foil to allow them to completely cool before squeezing them from their papers and smashing them into a paste with a knife or fork; allow the cauliflower florets to completely cool, and then very finely chop them; set both of those aside for a moment while you prepare the base of the dip.

-In a large bowl, add the softened cream cheese, the sour cream, the mayo, the grated parmesan, ½ cup of the shredded cheddar/gruyere blend, the parsley, lemon zest, herbs de Provence, the white wine, ¾ teaspoon of salt and another pinch of cayenne pepper, and fold those ingredients together until fairly smooth and well combined.

-Next, add in the chopped baby spinach, the chopped cauliflower and the roasted garlic paste, and fold those in until well incorporated.

-Turn the mixture out into the prepared baking dish, smooth the top out a bit, and sprinkle over the remainder of the shredded cheddar/gruyere cheese ; sprinkle another little pinch of the herbs de Provence and paprika over the cheese, and bake in the oven for about 20-22 minutes, or until golden and bubbly; sprinkle with a touch of the chopped parsley, and serve warm with tortilla chips.