Easy Tailgate Appetizer Recipe: Herby Breadsticks & Baked Cheesy Artichoke Dip

By Lacey / October 01, 2010 - 0 comments

When it comes to appetizers, I’m not a baby-carrots-and-celery-sticks kind of girl. Oh no. That’s why I love these savory herby breadsticks served with warm, cheesy artichoke dip. They’re incredibly addictive; my husband and I could hardly stop eating these when I made them last night. (In fact he tried to steal the last of my dip when I wasn't looking!) While they make a fun tailgate recipe, they’re also simple enough to make as part of an easy weeknight dinner. Once you have all your ingredients together they only take about ten minutes to prep (the same amount of time it takes for the oven to pre-heat) and then another ten minutes to bake. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 roll of refrigerated pizza or breadstick dough
• 1 big handful of washed, chopped herbs like parsley or rosemary & thyme
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 container of cheesy Stonemill Kitchens dip, like Artichoke Parmesan Dip or Artichoke Jalapeno Dip

Preparation Instructions

 Step 1: Preheat the oven according to dough package directions. Lightly coat a baking sheet with non-stick spray or line it with parchment paper. Spoon the dip into an oven-proof a gratin/ or small casserole dish.

Step 2: Unroll the refrigerated dough on a clean surface and cut it into 8 or 10 uniform rectangles and lay them on your baking sheet. If you want even smaller breadsticks, just cut those in half again.

Step 3: Sprinkle a couple generous pinches of salt and pepper across all of the dough. Then sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of the parmesan cheese and herbs across each of the dough rectangles. Gently pat the herbs and cheese down into the dough.

Step 4: Carefully pick up a dough rectangle and twist it several times, laying it down on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough rectangles.

Step 5: Brush each of the breadsticks with a little olive oil and then sprinkle on additional parmesan cheese and herbs (if desired). Pop the breadsticks and the dip into the oven until both are lightly browned, about 9-11 minutes. Serve toasty hot.

Tips

 The twisting may seem a little intimidating, but don’t worry—it’s actually really easy. Plus, you don’t have to worry about getting the twists perfect because they’ll puff up a little anyway as they bake. Try to use shallow dish to bake your dip in if you can. A deeper dish will work, but the dip may take longer to brown. Placing the dip on the top rach of the oven will also help it brown faster.

Also, you can use refrigerated breadstick dough for this recipe, but I find that the flavor of the refrigerated pizza dough goes better with the cheese and herbs. Also, I didn’t add any herbs to the top of my breadsticks, but you certainly could sprinkle some on for a bit of extra flavor.