Spring Crudités Basket with Fresh Vegetable Dips Recipe
This fresh and elegant spring crudités basket features seasonal vegetables, leafy greens, and creamy dips served beautifully in hollowed cabbage bowls, perfect for Easter, brunch, or spring entertaining.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Blanching
- Cuisine: Spring / American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Spinach Dip
- 10 ounces frozen spinach chopped, thawed and drained
- 1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3 green onions chopped
- 1 clove garlic grated
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Greek Yogurt Dip recipe or Hummus
Crudite Basket
- 2 bunches asparagus
- 2 bunches kale rinsed
- 1 bunch frisee or watercress
- 6 carrots cut into sticks or left whole if small
- 6 stalks celery cut into small sticks
- 2 small peppers cut into strips or left whole if small
- 1 small head cauliflower broken into florets
- 1 bunch radishes halved
- 2 Hollowed-out head of cabbage for holding the dip
Instructions
- Spinach Dip: Mix together the spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, green onions, garlic, and lemon juice until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. and pepper in a medium bowl until well combined. Chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Prepare Cabbage: Hollow out two cabbage heads. Use a sharp knife to trim the bottom so that the cabbage sits flat. Slice off the top of the cabbage. With a sharp knife, cut a circle into the middle, leaving a sturdy border around the edges. Then, use a spoon to loosen and scrape out the center until you have a bowl shape.
- Blanche Asparagus: Bring a skillet or pot of water to a boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water. Blanch the asparagus just until bright green and crisp-tender. Thin asparagus may need only a few seconds. Transfer the asparagus immediately to the ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain well and pat dry.
- Assemble the Basket: Line the basket with kale, frisée, or watercress. Nestle in the hollowed cabbage bowls, fill them with dip, and arrange the vegetables around them until the basket looks full and abundant.
Notes
- Make ahead: Prep the vegetables and dips up to 1 day in advance. Store separately and assemble just before serving for the freshest presentation.
- Blanching tip: Quickly blanching asparagus enhances its color and keeps it crisp-tender, but you can also serve it raw if preferred.
- Vegetable swaps: Use what’s in season-snap peas, cucumbers, broccoli, endive, or small peppers all work beautifully.
- Serving idea: For a larger gathering, place the basket on a tray and surround it with additional vegetables.
- Leftover cabbage: Use the extra cabbage in coleslaw, soups, or stir-fries.