Description
This festive Christmas Tree Dip combines creamy cannellini beans and reduced-fat cream cheese blended smooth, topped with fresh pesto and colorful holiday-inspired decorations. Perfect as a healthy, eye-catching appetizer for holiday gatherings, the dip is shaped like a Christmas tree and adorned with artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives, Sweety Drop peppers, and crumbled feta for a flavorful, festive treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Base:
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can cannellini beans (preferably organic or reduced-sodium), drained and rinsed
- 1 (8-ounce) block reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel cheese)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Toppings:
- ¼ – ⅓ cup fresh or refrigerated pesto
- Yellow bell pepper (for the star) or a star-shaped cracker
- Rectangular slice of a brownish or purple-black pepper (for the tree trunk) or a brown, rectangular cracker
- ½ cup chopped artichoke hearts (canned, not marinated)
- ½ cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
- Kalamata olives, sliced horizontally into rings
- Sweety Drop peppers (tiny, tear-shaped peppers)
- 1-2 tablespoons crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese or tomato-basil-flavored feta
Instructions
- Blend the Base: In a blender or food processor, combine the drained cannellini beans, reduced-fat cream cheese, and kosher salt. Process until the mixture is very smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed to ensure even blending.
- Shape the Tree: Spread the smooth cream cheese mixture evenly onto a large platter (approximately 12″ x 16″ oval) in the shape of a Christmas tree, creating a triangular form with a wider base and tapering to a point.
- Spread Pesto Layer: Using a spoon or spatula, spread a thin layer of pesto over the cream cheese mixture, leaving a small border around the edges. Use about ¼ cup of pesto for a typical thickness, or up to ⅓ cup if your layer is thicker.
- Create Decorations: Use a cookie cutter to cut a star shape from the flat side of the yellow bell pepper for the top ornament. Cut a rectangular slice from the brownish or purple-black pepper to serve as the tree trunk at the bottom of the tree. Alternatively, star-shaped and rectangular crackers can be used for these parts.
- Decorate the Tree: Arrange the chopped artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers as garlands draped diagonally across the tree. Scatter Kalamata olive rings and Sweety Drop peppers as ornaments placed evenly around the tree shape. Finally, sprinkle crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese over the tree as snow.
Notes
- Pesto: Choose a vibrant, fresh-looking green pesto for the best flavor. Refrigerated varieties tend to outperform shelf-stable jarred ones. Recommended brands include Rana from grocery stores or Kirkland from Costco.
- Make-ahead Tips: For convenience, chop and prep all decorative toppings a day or two in advance and store in the refrigerator. Then blend the base and assemble the tree right before serving for freshest texture.
- You can prepare the entire dip up to one day ahead. Store it wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Before serving, remove from the fridge about 20 minutes early to soften the cream cheese layer slightly, ensuring easy spreading and appealing texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 cup
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
