I may be a cool 27 years old, but sometimes it’s hard to grasp the concept that I’m an adult. Like for instance, I can no longer fly under the wings of my mother and let her take care of the dish to pass. Nope, I’m an adult. Gotta bring my own dish.
You’d think for as often as I spend in the kitchen, bringing a dish to pass would be no big deal. But as every holiday approaches, I am at a loss for what to bring. My mind becomes a whirl-wind of what people will and won’t like. I also have to consider that what I make has to withstand the three-hour drive North.
Trust me, nobody wants food to spill in their car. Take it from me. Last winter I prepped some mini cocktail smokies in a slow cooker. Somewhere along the way I hit a big bump, and you guessed it, I had a mess. The slow cooker cover flew off and smokies and sauce went all over. Not really a mess you want to clean up in the middle of winter.
I’ve become quite the queen of “make-ahead” dishes. I need something I can whip together in my kitchen and finish up the rest at my destination. Baked dips have worked exceptionally well for me. How can you not like an ooey-gooey, cheesy dip for chips and crostini?! Exhibit-A, we have my Skinny Baked Crab Dip.
In general, it seems baked dips are a winner. It’s rare that a spinach artichoke, cheese and bean, or even this Skinny Baked Crab Dip gets turned down. As you can tell, I’m a fan of a good dip recipe.
The one downside I’ve found with dips, is they tend to be high-calorie and high fat. Rarely do they even fill me up until I’m 2,000 calories deep in dip and chips. Not exactly what I want when I’m trying to fit into my holiday, body-con dress. So as per usual, I made a few swaps with this recipe to lighten it up. I also threw in a few extra veggies for the win! While I don’t recommend it, you can eat the whole darn dish for roughly 1,400 calories. Not so bad when we are talking a huge, honking dish.
What more can you want in a dip? We’ve got a lower calorie, veggie packed dish that still tastes bomb! It smelt so darn good I literally had to stop taking pictures so I could eat this cracker. See said cracker in the photo below!
This dip takes me about 10-15 minutes to whip together in my kitchen. Toss it in a baking dish, cover and you’re good to go. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days, perfect for making ahead. After I get to my destination, I can throw it in to bake and let the oven do the work.
So as per usual, get baking! Throwing this together for your holiday parties? Be sure to let me know by tagging a photo #stephanieleenutrition on Instagram. I’d love to see what you all bake up. Happy eating!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 35 minutes |
| Servings |
|
- 1 8 ounce package Neuchatel cheese softened
- 2 5.3 ounce containers plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1.5 teaspoons low sodium Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce (more or less to spice preference)
- 12 ounces lump crab meat (may substitute 2, 6oz cans of crab meat)
- 1 14.5 ounce can artichoke hearts, quartered and drained (pat dry to remove excess liquid)
- 1 medium red pepper, minced
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, minced
- 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- green onions, to garnish
Ingredients
|
|
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix Neuchatel cheese, Greek yogurt, mustard, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and hot sauce with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Fold in crab meat, artichoke hearts, red pepper, onion and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese (reserving 1/2 cup of cheese). Mix well and transfer to a 1 quart baking dish.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Place back in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.
- Garnish with green onions and serve with crackers, crostini, or tortilla chips.
