Giada's Creamy Tomato-Basil Dip with Lavash Crackers

I am a dip fan. Give me bowl of something delicious to scoop up with a chip or cracker and I am happy. Make it a warm dip and I am happier still. this simple Creamy Tomato-Basil Dip from Giada's Feel Good Food is right up my alley. Savory and cheesy on the crisp lavash crackers, it's perfect for a holiday pupu platter. 

Giada says, "Lavash is an unleavened Mediterranean bread that's super flat, even flatter than pita. It makes great chips. The dip evolved from a pasta sauce I used to like as a kid: in a pinch one time, with guests on their way. I repurposed the ingredients as a dip and everyone loved it! Leftovers make a nice accompaniment to chicken." 

Note: I made a few small changes in red below--adding powdered garlic and fresh basil to my dip and some Italian seasoning and black pepper to my crackers. I used some of my leftovers on pasta and it makes for an excellent sauce too. 

 Creamy Tomato-Basil Dip with Lavash Crackers
Adapted from Giada's Feel Good Food by Giada De Laurentiis
(Serves 6)

1 (9 x 12-inch) piece of whole wheat lavash bread (I couldn't find whole wheat & used the regular sandwich flat breads at my local supermarket)
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
(For my chips, I added about 1 1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning, a light sprinkle of sea salt & a few turns of freshly ground black pepper)
1 cup tomato-basil sauce
(To my sauce I added 1 tsp garlic powder and 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil)
1/4 cup (2 oz) crumbled creamy Gorgonzola cheese, at room temp
1/4 cup (2 oz) mascarpone cheese, at room temp
 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Cut the lavash into 1 x 4-inch strips. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet in a sangle layer. Drizzle with olive oil. (I then sprinkled the chips with my seasonings.) Bake until crisp, 5-6 minutes. Set aside to cool. 

In a medium saucepan, bring the tomato sauce (+ garlic powder and fresh basil) to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the Gorgonzola and mascarpone until incorporated.

Pour the dip into a serving bowl and serve the chips alongside

Nutritionals: Per Serving: Calories: 159, Protein: 5g, Carbs: 12g, Fiber: 2g, Total Fat: 10g, Sat. Fat: 4g, Sodium 327 mg

Notes/Results: This is a great winter party dip--warm and full of flavor. The mascarpone mellows the Gorgonzola and the result is just a rich cheesy flavor so this would be a good one to sneak by your blue cheese haters. ;-) The jarred sauce I had on hand was not particularly chunky--I will choose a chunkier sauce next time. I wanted to add some extra flavor so I added the powdered garlic and fresh basil to the sauce which I liked. The lavash crackers were perfectly crisp and I liked their thinner texture more than homemade pita chips--I will definitely make them again.

After I filled my dip bowl, I had some left in the cooking pot and I cooked up a couple of servings of spaghetti and stirred it into the dip with just a bit of the pasta boiling water--yum! I would make it just to eat with pasta. 

It's Potluck week at I Heart Cooking Clubs and a chance to make any Donna Hay dish or a dish from any of the previous IHCC chefs. Check the linkys on the post to see the different dishes everyone made.  

Happy Aloha Friday!