Indulgent, ingenious, and creamy cheesy good: Baked Broccoli Stem Dip

Broccoli stems have nearly the same nutrition as the florets but are more subtle in flavour, so they retain flavours of other ingredients easily. Cheddar is a heavenly pairing with broccoli, and cream cheese and sour cream help add a velvety depth to your dip.

Serve as you would any dip, with bread, crackers, or vegetables, or with chips and pickles.

Baked Broccoli Stem Dip

*Use a low-fat or full fat cream cheese/sour cream; whichever is preferred.

Ingredients

• 2 cups grated medium sharp cheddar (6 oz), divided
• 1 cup sour cream*
• 8 oz cream cheese*
• cup diced onion
• 2 cups trimmed and peeled broccoli stems, diced small (from 2-3 stalks)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced, or pushed through a garlic press
• tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.

Bring a couple inches of water to a boil in a medium pot and add a steamer basket on top, making sure there is about an inch of room at least between the water and the basket. Place the broccoli stems in the basket and steam for 5 minutes.

Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth, or mix very well using a spatula. Stir in the broccoli stems, onions, garlic, cheddar cheese, and crushed red pepper until combined. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer the mixture to a 1.5 quart baking dish. Top with the remaining cheddar.

Bake uncovered for 20-25 mins until the dip is bubbly, then broil for 3-5 minutes until golden on top.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Ariel Lefkowitzis a Canadian/American food writer, chef, and video journalist based in Montreal, QC. She has been a trained chef for over a decade. Ariel believes that cooking is a critical part of self-care that should be joyful, sustainable and accessible. She is currently developing a comedic cooking show, titledCooking in the Cut. Follow her at@cookinginthecut.