I am a huge fan of spinach and artichoke dip. It’s one of my favorite dishes to share with friends {get my recipe here}. Since I do make it so often, I wanted to change it up a bit and try something new for Christmas. My mind was set on incorporating butternut squash and I soon found myself fixated on attempting some kind of appetizer with a crust. Enter homemade gluten-free dough…what was I thinking?!

I openly admit I am not a huge fan of baking because it requires precise measurements and adhering closely to recipe instructions. Gluten-free baking is even more difficult and often seems like a science project, but I decide to give it a go for Christmas. For the tart crust I followed this recipe from King Arthur. To mix the dough I used my Kitchen Aid mixer with a paddle attachment. If I were to make this recipe again, I would probably use my food processor because I think it does a better job of cutting butter into the dough. After the dough was mixed I let it chill overnight and let it sit at room temperature before I began rolling it out.

I am not sure where I went wrong, but the dough was not easy to work with once I began rolling. It just kept falling apart. I actually had to kneed {I use that term lightly} the dough before I had any luck with rolling it out. Since I had trouble rolling out the dough it did not end up being large enough to make individual tarts. Instead, I opted for a pie size tart. To my surprise, the dough cooked really well and provided a tasty crust with good texture for this dish. The filling was much easier to put together. I love how all of the flavors infused together. The filling ingredients below make enough for two tarts or one tart and a bowl of dip.

Crust

For the tart crust I followed this recipe from King Arthur, but I actually used Bob’s Redmill Gluten-Free 1:1 flour  and omitted the xanthan gum and Instant Clear Jel.

Filling/Dip Ingredients

16oz frozen spinach

16oz frozen butternut squash

8oz Asiago

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper

1 small onion

2 large cloves of garlic

 Directions for Tart

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Follow the King Arthur recipe for the crust and roll each section of dough into a roughly 12 inch circle.

After thawing and draining the squash and spinach, combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Once combined, spoon mixture on to the bottom crust on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush egg wash around the edge of the crush then place top crust over the filling. Use a knife to trim the crust if needed then use a fork to press the edges together.

Pierce the top of the tart with a fork to let steam escape and brush the top of the tart with the remaining egg wash.

Bake tart for 20-30 minutes or until top is golden.

Directions for Dip

Add 8oz cream cheese to the remaining filing and combine well.

Spoon the mixture into a lightly greased casserole dish then sprinkle with panko bread crumbs and Pecorino Romano cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes and serve hot with fresh tortilla chips.