Roasted Vegetable Spread

SkysMama's Note:

I got this recipe from Alton Brown's Good Eats on the Food Network. I initially tried it because I thought it was great way to get my family to eat some veggies. This turned out better than I thought! The first batch I made was gone within an hour and the next day, I was back at the store getting ingredients to make more! I've adjusted the original recipe to add more onions and garlic (personal preference) so adjust the qtys of these to taste. You can also use low-fat cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese. This is a great with any kind of soft breads (challah, focaccia), bagels and even as a dip for vegetables! If you have leftovers, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 1.75 cup spr ...

• 1 red bell pepper , sliced into rings
• 2 medium onions , sliced into rings
• 6 garlic cloves , peeled & crushed
• 1 small zucchini , sliced
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place bell pepper, onion, garlic, zucchini and olive oil in a bowl and toss until all the vegetables are evenly coated.
3. Spread the vegetables evenly on a sheet pan lined with foil and place in oven.
4. Roast, tossing occasionally, until they are soft and are beginning to brown around the edges, approximately 45 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and cool completely.
6. Place cooled vegetables in a food processor with cream cheese and process until well combined and spreadable. Do not process until completely smooth. (If you don't have a food processor, you can chop the roasted vegetables finely then mix it with the cream cheese by hand.).
7. Season with salt and pepper.

Reviews

[realbirdlady]

Very nice! The proportions are fairly flexible. We usually include more garlic, and a bit of a hot pepper. With a little bit of planning, you can roast these veggies while you have the oven on for something else. The recipe amount is a little more olive oil than I need for the amount of vegetables. Two or 3 tablespoons is sufficient.

[Feej]

This was SO GOOD! I shared it with friends as a cracker & veggie dip. I plan to use any that's left over on a toasted bagel for breakfast. This was very easy & tastes gourmet. I processed it a bit more than suggested, because I wanted it more creamy. I think it's just perfect this way. Thank you very much for sharing this recipe!

[Houseblend]

HOLY SCHMOLEY! This knocked my socks off! I too saw this on an episode of Alton Brown and DH and I both thought this looked like a great way to add the vitamins and minerals found in veggies in a creative way. Finally got around to making it and used half a green bell pepper, half a large onion, 4 garlic cloves, half a summer squash and some Mrs. Dash for seasoning and cooked them for 25 minutes at 475. Let 'em cool for a few minutes, then pulsed them with the cream cheese and added about a tablespoon of leftover spinach pesto I had and WOWSER! So tasty, so creamy...would be awesome on bagels, with chips or as a veggie dip. DH and I thought of many ways to use this (or just to have in the fridge as a quick meal standby). This is our newest staple. Thanks for posting SkysMama!