Greek Seven Layer Dip with Homemade Hummus

Make your own or use prepared hummus and you’ll be the star of your next potluck with this Greek Seven Layer Dip!  It’s fresh, healthy and bursting with mediterranean flavors!

When it came to picking an app for the Super Bowl last week, I was stumped.  And when it comes to brainstorming recipes, that rarely happens to me.  I wanted something light.  It had to be easy.  And I wanted it to be crave-able…

And ya know what?  I’ve done did it.  Don’t hail from the South?  Pardon my southernisms. I can’t help it.  #blessmyheart

If you like the tomato-onion-cuke flavors of mediterranean cuisine and dig hummus, this Greek Seven Layer Dip is the dish for you!

I started by making my own hummus.  Mainly because I was too lazy to go to the store and buy it, but also because it is so darn easy to make.  I gave this hummus a little bit of a lemon twist by adding some fresh lemon juice.

After running the hummus ingredients through a food processor, I poured it into the bottom of a 9×13 glass baking dish.  That would be Layer #1, folks.

Layer #2 is a blend of Greek yogurt, parsley, minced garlic and lemon zest.

Layers #3, 4, and 5 are comprised of chopped tomatoes, English cucumber, and red onion.  If you aren’t a big fan of fresh onions, give ’em a little bath in ice water.  It helps mild out the kick.

Layers #6 & #7 offer real flavor – I added a blend of feta and grated ricotta salata cheese for a salty punch.  Next came the drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar.

Serve it with toasted baguette or pita chips and enjoy an extra glass of wine.  You’re eating veggies so obviously you’ve earned it! 🙂

Greek Seven Layer Dip

Yield: 8-10

Make your own or use prepared hummus and you'll be the star of your next potluck with this Greek Seven Layer Dip!  It's fresh, healthy and bursting with mediterranean flavors!

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Ingredients

• 2 (15.5 oz.) cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained.  Reserve 1/2 cup of liquid from cans
• 5 tb. tahini*
• juice and zest from 2 lemons, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tb. olive oil
• 2 1/4 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 4 tb. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 diced English cucumber
• 2 cups quartered grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup diced red onion, rinsed in cold water and drained
• 1/2 cup mixed feta cheese and ricotta salata*
• 2 tb. aged balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Add drained beans, tahini, juice and zest from 1 lemon, and garlic to a food processor.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pulse mixture and drizzle in olive oil and reserved liquid from garbanzo beans until thick but spreadable.  Spread hummus into a 9x13 baking dish.  
2. In a medium bowl, mix yogurt, parsley, and juice and zest from the second lemon.  Spread on top of the hummus layer in the baking dish.
3. Top with cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes, then the cheeses.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve with pita chips or toasted baguette.

Notes

*tahini paste is now regularly available in most grocery stores, in the same aisle as peanut butter.  I love using tahini in hummus, but if you don't feel like buying a specialty product for this, substitute another nut-butter.  It won't be quite the same... but it'll do the job.