Girl Party Food: Roasted Vegetable Dip

If you know anything about me, you probably know that I love roasted vegetables. Nothing brings out the best in a vegetable more than roasting it in a hot oven with a little olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. I love plain roasted vegetables, and I love them tossed with pasta.

There’s only one way I love them best, though.

Roasted vegetables are also absolutely, indisputably delicious pureed with a little tomato paste and served as a dip with crostini or some hearty wheat crackers. This is another one of those things I can eat with a spoon – no crackers needed. Every time I make it for a hen party, it’s gobbled up quickly and guests ask for the recipe. They’re always surprised to find out that they’re eating vegetables – nothing added beyond a little oil and the simplest of seasonings.

This recipe is a variation on Roasted Eggplant Spread from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (I was cooking with Ina Garten’s help long before she was a Food Network regular, and I seem to channel her most often in the fall).  I made it on a whim for a party the day after Christmas about ten years ago – I’d received the cookbook for Christmas as a gift from my mom, and it was her party. It’s been one of my party menu standbys ever since.

It’s also a really pretty dish – the bright bell peppers, especially, give this dip a gorgeous, appetizing color. It’s autumn in a bowl. If vegetables could ever be considered eye candy, this dip would be it. (Thanks to my fantastically talented artist friend Michelle, who took the awesome photo for this post, by the way. She has a gift for playing up color, as you can see.)

I don’t stray far from the original recipe. It’s so good as is that I’ve never felt inclined to mess around with different vegetables, so a bit more garlic and tomato paste are my only deviations.

Roasted Vegetable Dip
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 large sweet yellow or red onion, peeled and cut into chunks
2 bell peppers (anything but green), seeded and cut into chunks
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced or pressed
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Toss everything except the tomato paste together in a large bowl until the vegetables are fully coated with the olive oil and seasonings. Spread them out in a large baking dish or on a rimmed baking sheet.

Roast for 45 minutes, tossing once halfway through. Vegetables should be lightly browned, tender, and juicy.

Remove from oven and cool slightly. Place in a food processor, add the tomato paste, and puree briefly, just until blended. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl during processing if needed.

Add additional seasoning to taste.