Karen’s Holiday Cheesy Corn & Crab Dip Lightened-Up

5 from 1 vote
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This is a wonderful dip for the Holidays and any Party! A creamy texture dotted with fresh corn and lump crab. The base is veggie-heavy, lightened-up yet melty-cheesy!

Karen's Holiday Cheesy Corn &   Crab Dip Lightened-Up
Ready to dig into! Your guests (and you!) will love the creamy texture with crunchy corn and sweet lump crabmeat
Karen's Holiday Cheesy Corn &   Crab Dip Lightened-Up
The ultimate PARTY Food!
I recently served this at party – all devoured!
Karen's Holiday Cheesy Corn &   Crab Dip Lightened-Up
An individual serving on classy crackers
Karen's Holiday Cheesy Corn &   Crab Dip Lightened-Up
Ready to pop in the oven
Karen's Holiday Cheesy Corn &   Crab Dip Lightened-Up
Dipping in!
Karen's Holiday Cheesy Corn &   Crab Dip Lightened-Up
Ingredients for the dip – loving sweet Lump Crabmeat!
Sautéed Leeks, Garlic, Spinach and some of the fresh Corn Kernels – the vegetable base of the dip
The skillet mixture is puréed in a food processor. I LOVE my 4 cup one, work great and easy to clean!

The Purée:

The sautéed ingredients are puréed (takes one minute!)
This gives the dip an incredibly CREAMY consistency – mostly from the leeks.
And – all those leeks cut down on the fat content.

To the purée the add Mayonnaise, Greek Yogurt, Sour Cream, some of the Aged cheddar Cheese and Parmesan – mix all together
Add the sautéed corn, fold in all
You will bake the dip in an eight inch baking dish. When it has warmed through, the crab is tucked in. (This assures it does not overcook.)
The final bake! Cheddar cheese is added on top (crab is in there!) – so you have a nice cheesy top.
Karen's Holiday Cheesy Corn &   Crab Dip Lightened-Up
I like to serve the dip with an assortment of bread, crackers and tortilla chips
Karen's Holiday Cheesy Corn &   Crab Dip Lightened-Up
A close up look

You will love this dip!
Karen

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5 from 1 vote

Karen’s Holiday Cheesy Corn & Crab Dip Lightened-Up

Servings: 12 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 43 minutes
Karen's Holiday Cheesy Corn & Crab Dip Lightened-Up
A wonderful creamy dip – lightened up with leeks and fresh corn, lump meat crab is folded in for some decadence. Served in a warm casserole dish with a melted cheese top.

Ingredients 

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups leeks, thinly sliced; cleaned and dried
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, peeled, coarsely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder , or your favorite mild chiles
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels, divided
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise, preferably without natural flavoring
  • 1/4 cup greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup sour cream, (could use greek yogurt)
  • 1 1/4 cups aged white cheddar cheese, divided, grated (1/4 cup is for topping)
  • 1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/3 pound lump crab meat, best quality

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Add olive oil to a medium sized skillet, set to medium-low heat. When warm, add leeks and sauté until softened bit not colored, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, stir and cook one minute.
  • Add spinach, Kashmiri chile powder and half of the corn – 3/4 cup. Cook until spinach just wilts and corn is bright yellow. Remove from heat.
    Cool slightly and then add to a small food processor an puree until somewhat smooth.
  • In the same skillet, cook remaining 3/4 cup corn with a scant amount of olive oil and cook at medium heat until just a touch golden.
  • Add the puree to a large bowl. Add the 3/4 cup skillet corn, mayonnaise, greek yogurt, sour cream, ONE cup of cheddar and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Mix all to together with a rubber spatula.
  • Add the dip to an 8 inch baking dish soothing the top.
    Can be made ahead at this point and refrigerated until ready to bake.
  • Bake the dip until warmed through about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and tuck in the lump crab into the dip.
    Top evenly with the reserved 1/4 cups cheddar cheese. Bake until warmed through and bubbly, about 15 more minutes. (Crab is "tucked in so it does not over heat and become fishy.)

Serving:

  • Serve with toasted baguette slices, your favorite crackers or corn chips, or all!

Notes

This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer.

Nutrition

Calories: 152kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 8gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.002gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 315mgPotassium: 153mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 828IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 148mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer, First Course & Sides, Hors d’oeuvres
Cuisine: American
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5 from 1 vote

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Yummy! Made this for the holidays and was a hit. Love leeks and all the vegetables. Did not add crab. Wasn’t too heavy, a nice balance of ingredients. Made it ahead of time and baked before serving with the extra grated cheese. Might make again spicy. What spices do you think I should use? Thanks for this super recipe!

    1. Hi Camila – Thanks for the great review! I too have made it without the crab. To answer your question, to make a bit spicy, I would add 1 tablespoon of minced jalapeño in the skillet at step 3 (with spinach and corn.) Alternatively, you can add hot chili flakes you like, 1/2 teaspoon should do it. (Kashmiri Chilies in the recipe offer mild heat.) 😀Karen