Garden Vegetable Spread (Printer-Friendly)
Vibrant creamy spread of diced cucumber, bell pepper, carrot and herbs—ideal chilled for crackers or sandwiches.
# What You'll Need:
→ Fresh Vegetables
01 - 1 cup finely diced cucumber, seeded and peeled
02 - 1 cup finely diced red bell pepper
03 - 1/2 cup grated carrot
04 - 1/2 cup finely diced celery
05 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
→ Dairy Base
06 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
07 - 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
→ Seasonings
08 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
09 - 1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
10 - 1 clove garlic, minced
11 - 1/2 tsp kosher salt
12 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
13 - 1 to 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
# How to Make It:
01 - Seed and peel the cucumber, then finely dice it along with the red bell pepper and celery. Grate the carrot and thinly slice the green onions. Combine all prepared vegetables in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
02 - In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a spatula or hand mixer until smooth and free of lumps. Add the Greek yogurt or sour cream and continue mixing until fully incorporated and creamy.
03 - Stir the minced garlic, lemon juice, kosher salt, black pepper, chopped parsley, and dill into the cream cheese mixture until evenly distributed.
04 - Add the combined vegetable mixture to the seasoned cream base. Fold gently using a spatula until all vegetables are evenly coated and distributed throughout the spread.
05 - Taste the spread and adjust salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
06 - Transfer the chilled spread to a serving bowl and accompany with crackers, toasted bread, or fresh vegetable sticks such as carrots, celery, and bell pepper strips.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- No cooking required, which means your kitchen stays cool and you stay happy on even the hottest days.
- It doubles effortlessly for a crowd and tastes even better the next day when the flavors have had time to party together overnight.
02 -
- If you skip seeding the cucumber your spread will weep water overnight and turn into a sad, watery puddle that nobody wants to eat.
- Do not be tempted to use a food processor for the vegetables because you will end up with a paste instead of the pleasant, chunky texture that makes this spread so satisfying.
03 -
- Grate the carrot on the finest holes of your box grater so it disappears into the spread texture rather than sitting there in chunky orange strips.
- Letting the spread rest a full two hours instead of thirty minutes transforms it from good to the kind of thing people will text you about the next day.