Greek Seven-Layer Dip gives a Greek twist to the traditional layered dip with hummus as the base, and yogurt, olives and feta as toppings.
I had the pleasure of meeting TV/media personality Rachel Hollis, and what fun it was to hear her talk about her modest childhood growing up in a “family full of loud Okie expats who migrated to Southern California.”
Their tiny pink house on a street called Weedpatch Highway was where she laid down her formative memories of entertaining – “my family always had people over, always threw parties and always made the biggest, fattest deal out of every holiday and birthday…those Christmases, those barbecues, those Sunday suppers are some of the most precious memories I have of my childhood.”
She learned to show love by cooking, baking, welcoming guests and setting the table with their mismatched china.
Flash forward to the early 2000s, when she moved to Los Angeles with plans to be an actress and marry Matt Damon (in the order, she says!). She launched her party planning company called Chic Events, which grew from her specialty in pulling off parties for pennies to a high-end luxury party-planning business creating chic events for A-list Hollywood clients.
She founded the hugely popular TheChicSite.com, a party planning and lifestyle/advice/food website to share her advice, and you may have seen her on “The Rachel Ray Show,” “The Talk,” “Home & Family,” and other TV shows we all watch for inspiration. Edited for 2021: These days you may have seen or heard her as a motivational speaker or read her as the best-selling author of “Girl, Wash Your Face,” and “Girl, Stop Apologizing,” as well as her latest “Didn’t See That Coming.”
The cookbook
I was lucky to meet her at a signing for her new cookbook, “Upscale Downhome: Family Recipes All Gussied Up [1],” {affiliate link} and to taste some of her food – homey, comfort recipes with a modern twist and amped up flavors.
Her sparkling personality shines though on every page. This is a book that will make you laugh with her anecdotes, say “Why didn’t I think of that?” when you see her simple yet elegant presentations, and salivate at the thought of what you might be eating for dinner tonight. You’ll need a lot of sticky notes to bookmark all the recipes you want to try. A huge plus is there is a photo for every dish, AND step-by-step photos of each pivotal step in the recipe. She aims to make sure cooks on every level have the confidence in the middle of the recipe to know they are doing it right.
Her flavors are big and punchy, and I thought you might enjoy one of her popular dips today – Greek Seven-Layer Dip. Here’s what she says about it:
“We’ve all made seven-layer dip, right? A few years back I thought it would be fun to create a different version, and I came up with this! Hummus instead of beans, Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream, feta instead of cheddar. These dips are cousins all right, but the flavor palates are totally different. If you like Mediterranean flavors, you’re going to love this.”
Are you ready for the delicious dip that will take you through game days, potlucks, girls’ nights AND pre-dinner hungries? Or maybe this WILL be your dinner! No judgment from me.
Greek Seven-Layer Dip is only about 15 minutes away.
Greek Seven-Layer Dip gives a Greek twist to the traditional layered dip with hummus as the base, and yogurt, olives and feta as toppings. It is vegetarian and gluten-free!
Ingredients
- 1 (25-ounce) container plain hummus
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 5 sweet bell peppers, diced
- 1/4 cup Greek-style Kalamata olives, diced
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- .
- For serving:
- Cucumber slices
- Carrot sticks
- Bell pepper slices
- Pita chips
Directions
- Use a spatula to spread the bottom layer of hummus on the plate or bowl you’ll be using to serve your dip. I use a large plate, but you could do your dip in a bowl or casserole dish.
- Then top with a layer of Greek yogurt. Since Greek yogurt is so thick, I put mine in a baggie and snip off a corner to use like a pastry bag. It makes it easier to spread.
- Top with the onion, peppers, and olives as their own separate layers.
- Sprinkle the top with crumbled feta, pine nuts, and dried oregano.
- Serve with cucumber slices, carrot sticks, bell pepper slices or pita chips for dipping.
- Makes 8-12 servings.
Notes
Recipe source: From “Upscale Downhome: Family Recipes, All Gussied Up,” by Rachel Hollis (Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2016; $19.99).
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Want to see a few more of her dishes from the book?
Our food blogger party at Melissa’s Produce featured a wonderful array of dishes from the cookbook. Take a look…
Her signature and most popular recipe, Spicy Corn Dip. I could have done a face-plant in it, and never emerged.
Fresh Green Bean Salad. My beloved veggies, oh yes!
BLT Bites — all the best flavors of your favorite sandwich, in a party-size bite.
Sticky Ham and Cheese. On sweet Hawaiian rolls? Sold!
You should have seen the food writers slurping up the pudding in these Cookie Pudding Pies. Squatty Mason jars, for the win!
Want a recipe for Mexican 7-Layer Dip?
We call it a Walking Tostada [4]. Same thing as a 7-layer dip, or a 9-layer dip, as I show above.
Disclosure: The publisher provided a copy of the book for review. Photo credit for Greek dip: Jonathan Melendez and Courtnee Loren Brown.
This post was originally published Oct. 23, 2016 and has been refreshed and republished today.
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