Whip up this Gluten Free Italian Cream Cheese Hummus as a slightly spicy and beautifully bold dip for your next dinner party. Your guests are sure to enjoy!
We all love us some dip dip right???
A good dip is like the Jack of all trades. I can get my kids to eat anything if they have something to dip it in. It’s my go to way of disguising veggies. Not that my kids don’t like their veggies. They just get bored of them.
HECK! I get BORED of them. All. The. Time.
Face it. There’s only so many carrot and celery sticks you can muster before you want to binge on all the chocolate chips hiding out in your pantry. If you deny this, you are LYING. End of story.
So, instead of raiding your baking supplies and leaving evidence of melted chocolate on the sides of your mouth, how about making a HEALTHY dip that will give a new edge and an exciting change of flavor to those humdrum vegetables?
If only there was the same solution to updating my wardrobe. Egh.
But seriously, this Gluten Free Italian Cream Cheese Hummus is a quick and easy way to spice up anything from veggies to sandwiches and crackers. I even used it to stuff and roast mushrooms for another fun appetizer. Don’t worry, that recipe will be coming soon.
This dip is reminiscent of hummus, but without the olive oil flavor in the background. Instead, you achieve the same creaminess from pureeing softened cream cheese and canned diced tomatoes into your garbanzo beans. You end up with this slightly tangy, full on tomato and Italian flavored bowl of appetizer goodness.
Now I guess for a shortcut on spices, you could always sub in those Italian seasoned diced tomatoes and cut down on the Italian spices in the recipe. Hmmm…I’m just now thinking of that as I’m writing this post. I can’t guarantee what the flavor will be like, since I haven’t tried it; and as much as I love you all, I’m not in the mood to make dip at 9:00 at night just to assure it works. Kisses!
Now I know I talked up this dip to be perfect for veggies, and let’s face it, that would be the best option as far as “healthy choices” are concerned. But really, this hummus is so good with pita chips! I’m a pita chip fanatic. I wish I could share my Stacy’s brand pita chips with Braelyn because they are my all time favorite snacking chip, but instead I give Braelyn Food Should Taste Good brand multigrain tortilla chips. She’s pretty fond of those in her lunches, and I like that they have a decent amount of whole grains baked in them.
So however you choose to snack, get out of your old familiar rut and, by golly, TRY SOMETHING NEW!
How do you spice up your veggies?
- 1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove)
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1½ teaspoons dried rosemary leaves
- 1½ teaspoon italian seasoning
- 2 oz. cream cheese, softened*
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½-3/4 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ can diced tomatoes
- Soften cream cheese by setting out for 30 minutes or defrosting in microwave for 20-30 seconds. Set aside.
- Drain and rinse chickpeas.
- Add all ingredients to food processor and blend on high until smooth, scraping the sides if necessary. Add more salt and pepper depending on taste.
- Chill dip for an hour before serving.
Brielle this looks INCREDIBLE! I have one VERY Italian husband who would absolutely love this. I’m thinking this is going to be perfect snack for our Sunday afternoon football viewing. Love that it’s HEALTHY too (but that can be our secret, right?! 😉 )
Thanks Leah! How fun to have an Italian for a husband. Ow ow! Haha! Hopefully he approves.