Description
Think of a Reuben sandwich, in dip form. Creamy and packed with briny pickles, smoky pastrami AND sharp gruyere, this lovely pickle dip will be the star of your next party spread. It takes less than 10 minutes to make and is PERFECT for entertaining. Serve with fluffy two-ingredient dough flatbreads or crunchy baked pita chips.
You’ll also need a food processor, blender or food chopper for this recipe. If you don’t have one, you can still make the dip, and I’ve included instructions for what to do in the notes below the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons pickle juice
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup pickles, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 4 pieces pastrami, diced
- 1/3 cup gruyere, grated
- Handful of chives, finely sliced
Instructions
- Blitz the dip base. Add 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup cream cheese, garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the bowl of a food processor, or a blender. Blitz until super smooth and creamy – this will only take a couple of minutes.
- Add the mix-ins. Transfer the creamy base to a serving bowl, then add most of the chopped pickles, pastrami, chives and gruyere (keeping back enough to scatter over the top to serve). Mix them through the creamy base.
- Garnish and serve. Scatter the remaining pickles, pastrami, chives and gruyere on top, then finish with a sprinkling of chili flakes.
Notes
NO FOOD PROCESSOR? Simply mix the cottage cheese with the cream cheese vigorously in a bowl, then add the Dijon mustard, crushed garlic and salt and mix them through.
INGREDIENT NOTES: You can swap the cottage cheese for more cream cheese, or use sour cream, mayo, this egg-free garlic aioli, egg-free Kewpie mayo or thick Greek yogurt. Low-fat cottage cheese or cream cheese is fine – just keep in mind that the dip will end up a little more watery (as there tends to be more water content in the low-fat options). Swap chives for flat-leaf parsley, scallions or dill if you prefer. You could use parmesan, Emmental or even cheddar in place of the gruyere.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I LOVE to serve this dip with a pile of soft, fluffy 2-ingredient dough flatbreads, crispy pita chips, crudites or chilli cheese focaccia. You could also use it as a sauce with grilled chicken, as a spread on a two-ingredient dough bagel or high-protein cottage cheese bagel, or as a dip for crispy skin-on roast potatoes or loaded potato wedges.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The dip will keep well for about four days, stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Prep Time: 10
- Category: dips
- Method: food processor
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 tablespoons
- Calories: 108
- Sugar: 4.3g
- Sodium: 484.8mg
- Fat: 4.8g
- Saturated Fat: 2.6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 6.2g
- Fiber: 0.1g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 29.2mg