Hot & Cheesy Roasted Sweet Pepper Dip Recipe
Christy, Sinkology’s food-loving recipe blogger, is here to share some recipes she has created for the Sinkology blog that reflect our view of a copper sink: simple, timeless, affordable, and beautifully rustic.
This hot and cheesy, roasted sweet pepper dip is one of our favorite appetizers and only requires 5 ingredients. I like to make simple, no-fuss appetizers especially after a busy holiday and anything cheesy is always a sure hit. However you celebrate New Year, we can all agree that good food is an absolute must!
The sweet peppers are roasted first in the oven to soften and caramelize enhancing the flavor. There is almost more roasted peppers in this dip than cheese so you don’t have to feel completely guilty eating it, plus New Year’s resolutions don’t begin until the 1st, right? The roasted peppers are then mixed with 3 different types of cheese: parmesan, fontina, and mozzarella. Of course, no dip is complete without cream cheese to bind everything together. The end result is a creamy, hot, bubbly, cheesy, ooey-gooey dip with roasted sweet peppers! I love how you can really taste the roasted peppers because all the different cheeses don’t overwhelm them.
May you all have a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year.
Let’s get started on this simple dip!
First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and pat dry the mini sweet peppers.
Place the mini peppers on a cutting board. Cut the top stem and then lengthwise for all of the peppers. Don’t worry about removing the seeds, as there are very little.
Place the cut peppers on a baking sheet and drizzle a little bit of olive oil. Use your hands to coat all the peppers thoroughly with the oil. I learned pretty good tip years ago that my ugliest, blackest, and battered baking sheet roasted my vegetables better than my newer and shiny baking sheet. The vegetables roast faster, caramelize and/or crisp better so I save my ugly sheets for this purpose only.
Roast for 20-30 minutes, until the peppers are caramelized and browned to your preference. Stir halfway through. Set aside to cool while you make the cheese base (pictured). Keep the oven on.
Freshly grate the parmesan, fontina and mozzarella. I prefer to buy all my cheeses in blocks instead of pre-shredded because the pre-shredded cheeses are covered in cellulose powder. The cellulose powder prevents the cheese shreds from sticking together. They don’t melt as well as freshly shredded cheese. It really makes a huge difference and tastes better too.
Reserve a small amount of each cheese, about ½ cup combined total to sprinkle on the top.
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, parmesan, fontina, and mozzarella. I prefer to use Italian fontina cheese instead of the Danish fontina for this dip. Italian fontina has soft buttery and nutty flavor whereas Danish fontina (red rind) has a slightly sweeter and less nutty flavor. If you can’t find or don’t want to use fontina, provolone or monterey jack would be good substitution.
The peppers should be cool to handle now. Cut them into small pieces about ½ inch then add to the cheese base. Stir or smooch together to combine.
Place the pepper dip in a shallow oven-safe dish or your prettiest oven safe dish for presentation. Sprinkle the reserved cheeses on top.
Bake for 25 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly on top.
This dip is delicious served with crostini, crackers, and/or pita chips. This can also be prepared a day in advance and baked next day. Add a few extra minutes to the baking time.