I’m Making Ina Garten’s Dangerously Delicious Cream Cheese Dip Every Weekend of Football Season

I grew up during the heyday of cooking shows, and Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa was must-see TV. I was new to cooking, so I soaked up all the hosting tips and insider kitchen tricks she shared. Even a passing comment about using really good olive oil had me scanning the screen to see which brand Ina deemed the best. (I recently learned which ketchup she loves, and it’s already my go-to bottle.) 

Even now that I’m an experienced cook, I’m still learning from Ina and dreaming of a day spent dining with her in the Hamptons. I’m still waiting on my invitation, but that doesn’t mean I can’t eat like I’m at Ina’s right now. Ina revealed the most popular dip she sold at The Barefoot Contessa in the cookbook she named after her specialty food shop, so obviously I had to try it. 

Get the recipe: Ina Garten’s Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

Ina Garten’s sun-dried tomato dip takes just a few minutes to make with the help of a food processor. Blend oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, softened cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, hot sauce, kosher salt, and black pepper together in a food processor until smooth. Add green onions and pulse a few times to combine, then transfer to a serving dish. Serve with crackers or vegetables for dipping. 

Cooking like Ina Garten is all about effortless elegance, and nothing says that more than a flavorful dip made in the food processor. The dip relies on a trio of ingredients — sour cream, mayonnaise, and cream cheese — as the base for the creamy dip. From there, you could add any flavor-packed ingredient, but Ina adds oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, hot sauce, and green onions. The sun-dried tomatoes add a lovely blush hue to the dip, plus a deep tomato and umami flavor. It’s an ingredient that was hot in the 1990s, but has made a major comeback, thanks to Marry Me Chicken (and I’m here for it).

I’ll be honest: The addition of hot sauce in the recipe gave me pause. I wasn’t sure how the flavor of hot sauce would taste with the tomatoes and green onion, but I shouldn’t have doubted Ina. In the book, she recommends using Tabasco. It’s a thin hot sauce that adds both spice and a vinegary kick to balance the richness of the creamy ingredients. I love serving this with round butter crackers, but you could also add crunchy vegetables or a sliced baguette on the side. 

• Only use “good” ingredients. If Ina has taught us anything, a finished dish is only as good as the ingredients you start with. Use your favorite brands of cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, sun-dried tomatoes, and hot sauce and you won’t be disappointed.
• Make sure cream cheese is at room temperature. For a creamy dip with no lumps, make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before beginning. If you need tips for softening the cream cheese quickly, check out our guide for bringing ingredients to room temperature.
• Think beyond the dip. Serving a homemade dip is a welcome start to holiday parties, football Saturday, or dinner dates, but that’s not the only way to serve this appetizer. Use it as a spread on sandwiches or homemade pizza, or let it melt into hot pasta.

Get the recipe: Ina Garten’s Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

This article originally published on The Kitchn. See it there: I’m Making Ina Garten’s Dangerously Delicious Cream Cheese Dip Every Weekend of Football Season