Cherry Tomato Labneh Dip
Published August 1, 2024
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
12 ounces cherry tomatoes
8 garlic cloves, peeled
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh oregano
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces labneh
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Flaky salt
Pita, crusty bread or crudités, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
17 grams carbs; 8 milligrams cholesterol; 598 calories; 40 grams monosaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 58 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 513 milligrams sodium; 7 grams protein; 5 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat your oven to 325 degrees. Combine the cherry tomatoes, garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, oregano sprigs, salt and olive oil in a small, oven-safe lidded pot. Place the pot over medium heat and cook until the oil bubbles, about 1 minute. When it does, turn off the heat, cover tightly with a lid and transfer to the oven.
- Step 2
Let the mixture cook for 30 minutes. The tomatoes should be mostly whole and on the brink of bursting, and the garlic should smush when pressed. Remove and discard the thyme and oregano sprigs.
- Step 3
Put the labneh in the middle of a serving bowl. Using the back of a spoon, spread the labneh to fill the bowl evenly, then create a divot in the middle. Using a slotted spoon, place the tomatoes and garlic in the center of the divot and season with red pepper and flaky salt. Drizzle some of the fragrant oil on top, then reserve (and refrigerate) any remaining oil to dress salads, pasta, beans, vegetables or save for another use. (Strained and refrigerated in a covered container, the seasoned olive oil will keep for one week.)
Private Notes
Comments
Labneh is just strained Greek yogurt. Simply line a strainer with cheesecloth and set over a bowl. Add your yogurt to the strainer, cover lightly (to keep the fridge smells out of your cheese) and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. The result is a soft silky cheese that is reminiscent of a fresh cream cheese. It is delicious on it's own with a fresh pita but is also a beautiful canvass for any flavors you like. It is almost zero effort to make so it's definitely worth a try.
I’ve used greek yogurt and feta cheese blended with a bit of water instead of labneh. Yummy!
Mina - you ask how to use the leftover oil, outside of salads. For sure this can be used as part of a vinaigrette for green salads. But it can also be used with pasta. And it is great with roasted veg, like fingerling potatoes or green beans to dress them. And also a really good partner to use with white bean salads. I used it with a bean salad that started with Rancho Gordo flageolet beans. It also could be used for a dipping oil for bread.
I made some hummus that’s a little too loose and was looking for something to do with it. This topping sounds perfect with some feta sprinkled on top.
The tomato and garlic mixture smelled great. My issue was with the labneh. It seemed to get too water once I topped it with the tomatoes. Maybe would try it with feta or ricotta as others suggested. Also, this is definitely not the right vehicle for crudite.
Made this for a party and it was a huge success. The major win overall though was to make my own labneh which felt like an incredible achievement!