Herbed Ricotta with Roasted Tomatoes | Easy, Vegetarian

This slightly spicy Herbed Ricotta with Roasted Tomatoes is just as flavorful as it is festive. Creamy ricotta cheese, whipped with a mixture of fresh herbs, and topped with roasted, garlicky cherry tomatoes and served up dip-style.

This Herbed Ricotta with Roasted Tomatoes recipe is flavored with garlic and balsamic, is quick to make and totally delicious, especially with crostini or crusty baguette on the side for scooping. A quintessential holiday appetizer.

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Snacking!!

Savory snacks are my weakness. I actually crave something deeply savory whenever I’m hungry in between meals or after a workout. I strongly believe that we can all make small, sustainable changes to the big picture in terms of eating these days. For example, adding more smoothies to your daily routine, as well as swapping bagels for a herbed soft scrambled egg on whole grain toast or brown rice cake and fruit—a good balance of protein and fiber. But snacking…is a whole different ball game.

Perfect for a Holiday Party

And that’s the reason I’m so excited to share this recipe with you all. I know I say this a lot, but this Herbed Ricotta with Roasted Tomatoes Dip is also one of those recipes that’s so simple and easy to put together, yet so delicious. It’s perfect for so many occasions but is especially fitting for a Holiday/Christmas party. I mean have you looked at the colors? 

I strongly believe that every holiday party needs a good appetizer or two. Though cheese or snack boards are a TKD go to, a creamy dip is a must have as well. Therefore, I wanted to share something new, holidayish, and simple, that’s easy to throw together, and of course, delectable too. It’s simple, yet show-stopping at the same time.

Start with those tomatoes

Cherry or grape tomatoes are a major win for this recipe. No need to slice or cut, just dump them in a pan. If they are kind of big in size I’ll suggest slicing them in half. You sure can use something like Roma tomatoes if you cannot find cherry or grape tomatoes or if they cost an arm and a leg and cut them into small chunks. Heat up olive oil with sliced garlic in a pan and once the garlic is fragrant (do not let it brown), add the tomatoes along with a pinch of salt and pepper and chili flakes if you want to add some spice. This is one of my favorite flavor combinations. Let them burst and get roasted, about 8-10 minutes.

Now that herbed ricotta…

While the tomatoes are doing their thing, combine your ricotta, herbs, serranos, garlic and salt in a food processor and whip until smooth. 

Ricotta with Roasted tomatoes - Serve it up…

Take the herbed ricotta out on a platter, spoon the tomatoes on top and finish with a balsamic drizzle. Serve with crostini or sliced bread. You can also grill/toast sliced sourdough bread/baguette with olive oil until it’s lightly charred if you are feeling up for it. 

Looking for other holiday appetizers? 

• Pomegranate Cheese Ball
• Crispy Chicken and Veggie Snack Board
• Chicken Wings

Here’s your handy dandy printable

Herbed Ricotta with Roasted Tomatoes

Vaishali

This slightly spicy Herbed Ricotta Dip with Garlic Roasted Tomatoes is just as flavorful as it is festive. Creamy ricotta cheese, whipped with a mixture of fresh herbs, and topped with roasted, garlicky cherry tomatoes and served up dip-style.

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Equipment

• ▢
  Food Processor

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Herbed Ricotta

• ▢ 16 oz container whole milk ricotta cheese 2 cups
• ▢ 1-2 Serrano chilies roughly chopped
• ▢ ¼ bunch chopped cilantro stems and leaves about ⅓ cup
• ▢ ¼ bunch finely chopped parsley about ⅓ cup
• ▢ 6-8 large leaves of basil
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic
• ▢ Salt to taste

Garlic Roasted Tomatoes

• ▢ 1 pint container of cherry tomatoes halved, about 2 cups
• ▢ 5 cloves garlic sliced thin
• ▢ 1 tablespoon red chili flakes optional
• ▢ ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

To serve

• ▢ 2 tablespoon Balsamic glaze to drizzle
• ▢ Crostini or sourdough bread/baguette

Instructions

 

Herbed Ricotta

• Whip the ricotta with herbs and garlic in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Season with salt.

Garlic Roasted Tomatoes:

• Add extra virgin olive oil and sliced garlic in a wide skillet and heat up on low heat. We want to heat up the oil slowly so that the garlic does not brown and burn. This will turn the garlic bitter.
• Once the oil is hot and garlic begins to sizzle, add tomatoes, chili flakes (if using), salt and pepper.
• Increase the heat to medium high and let everything cook together for 8-10 minutes. If you are using whole cherry tomatoes they will burst and release their juices. Turn the heat off once the tomatoes are roasted and slightly caramelized.

To serve:

• Spread the herbed ricotta on a large platter or serving dish and spoon the garlic roasted cherry tomatoes on top. Drizzle the balsamic glaze and serve with crostini or toasted bread/baguette slices

Notes

You can adjust the spice level to your liking by using fewer Serrano peppers. 1-2 peppers give it a nice kick. You can also use jalapenos to lower the heat or Thai peppers to increase the spice level.

You can find crostini at your local grocery store’s bakery section or you can ask them to slice a sourdough or baguette loaf for you.
The ricotta can be prepared ahead and kept in the fridge for up to a day. When ready to serve, bring it out before you start prepping and cooking the tomatoes.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I would love to hear from you guys. And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram and Facebook! I love to look through your creations!!

Love – Vaishali

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