This easy artichoke dip recipe with red peppers and green olives makes a versatile clean-out-the-fridge dip. Like all Mediterranean mezze that can be eaten as snacks, dips, starters, or sides, you can spread this antipasti-inspired dip onto toasted sourdough, serve it in a bowl and scoop it up with pita bread or crisps, or enjoy it as a side to grilled skewers, meatballs or barbecued meats.
If you have half-full jars or near-empty jars with remnants of marinated grilled vegetables in the fridge left over after you assembled an Italian antipasti platter on the weekend, then this artichoke dip recipe is the solution to your problem of what to do with them. Because the last thing you want to do is toss them. Although you could use them on homemade pizza or make my capricciosa pasta…
Drain the jars of vegetables of their brine, cut them into bite-size pieces, slide them into a serving bowl, stir in some finely chopped flat-leaf parsley to add freshness, and, dress the lot with a simple dressing of extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice – because they’re already been marinated. Serve with homemade croutons, crusty sourdough or crispy pita chips.
If you’re a Mediterranean food lover, you’ll enjoy this artichoke dip recipe with red peppers and green olives. Serve it with this Greek eggplant dip. And we have lots more homemade dip recipes and more mezze recipes from Middle Eastern and European Mediterranean countries if you’re feeding a crowd.
Looking for more cooking inspiration? We have many hundreds of recipes you can browse in our archives, and you can click on the heart on the right of every post to save your favourite recipes and stories in a private account of your own.
Artichoke Dip Recipe with Red Peppers and Green Olives
If you’re as obsessive as I’ve become about reducing kitchen waste – a cost-of-living crisis and years-long pandemic will do that to a person; and if there’s something good to come from challenging times, that’s one of them – then you’ll appreciate this artichoke dip recipe for a quick and easy clean-out-the-fridge dip.
It’s an artichoke based dip partly because I was inspired by a mezze of artichoke hearts in lemon juice, olive oil, and mizithra, a Greek cheese, in the wonderful Greek cookbook, Philoxenia, A Seat at My Table by Kon and Sia Karapanagiotidis, which I’ve been cooking from this year, but I couldn’t source artichoke hearts.
I decided to test the recipe with a jar of grilled artichokes that I had in the fridge, that was open and had to be used, but as the artichokes were marinated in olive oil and vinegar they were too tangy on their own. Plus, while they were delicious, unlike fresh artichoke hearts, the jarred artichokes had lost their firmness and were very soft. My artichoke dip needed more texture.
The remnants of a big jar of char-grilled red capsicums marinated in olive oil and vinegar added much-needed sweetness and welcome smokiness, but the red capsicums were even softer, silkier and luscious in texture, so didn’t solve my texture problem.
Two jars of olives came to the rescue. Sicilian green olives gave the artichoke dip the firmness and even a little crunch that was needed, while a few juicy Kalamata olives contributed a little sourness and distinctly Greek flavour.
A little lemon juice added brightness and zing and a great quality extra virgin olive oil added even more flavour and brought the disparate flavours together into a seamless whole. I adore this artichoke dip. I’ve made it a few times now.
I love to spread a little soft feta cheese onto warm sourdough toast and pile this antipasti medley on top but it’s fantastic just scooped up with crispy pita chips, and it’s a brilliant side dish for juicy Greek meatballs or chicken souvlaki, adding welcome contrast.
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Tips to Making this Mediterranean Artichoke Dip Recipe
I only have a few tips to making this artichoke dip recipe, as it’s a cinch to make and comes together so quickly. Essentially all you’re doing is scooping marinated vegetables out of jars, cutting them into bite-sized pieces (best for scooping up with pita crisps), combining them in a bowl, and adjusting the dressing or seasoning to suit your palate.
This clean-out-the-fridge dip is nothing if not versatile. While I’ve used jars of marinated grilled artichoke hearts, red capsicums and olives, you could substitute or add sun-dried tomatoes, marinated zucchini, pickled mushrooms, or whatever you have in the fridge that needs using up.
Do taste the combined vegetables before adding lemon juice or salt. I found my marinated vegetables were very vinegar-forward and the lemon juice added citrus flavour. Surprisingly my artichoke dip needed a little salt, but your vegetables might have enough salt.
Extra olive virgin oil was essential for that distinctive Mediterranean flavour as much as luscious texture. Use a good quality Mediterranean-style extra virgin olive oil.
As I’ve said above, this artichoke dip is a fantastic side for Greek meatballs and souvlaki, so you could make some tzatziki and taramosalata to go with those, along with a Greek salad. This would also work as part of a spread of Italian appetisers or Middle Eastern mezze and you’ll find a link to those above. Enjoy!
Artichoke Dip Recipe with Red Peppers and Green Olives
Artichoke Dip Recipe with Red Peppers and Green Olives
This easy Mediterranean style artichoke dip recipe with red peppers and green olives is inspired by a Greek mezze of artichokes in lemon juice with olive oil. It’s a clean-out-the-fridge dip that’s nothing if not versatile. I’ve used jars of marinated grilled artichoke hearts, red capsicums and olives left from an Italian antipasti platter, but you could add sun-dried tomatoes, marinated mushrooms, feta, or whatever you have in the fridge that needs finishing. Cut them into bite-sized pieces, dress with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, season with a little salt, and serve with pita bread, toasted sourdough or crisps.
Cherry & Olive Pitter
- 200 g artichoke hearts – grilled, fresh or jarred, sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 100 g red capsicums – bell peppers, grilled, marinated, jarred, sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 12 olives – green or black, pitted, roughly chopped
- 1 lemon – juice only
- 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
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Combine all the ingredients well in a bowl.
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Transfer to a serving plate, drizzle on a little extra virgin olive oil and serve with warm pita bread or pita crisps.
To serve: a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and warm pita bread or pita crisps.
Calories: 577kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 4gFat: 54gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 39gSodium: 2674mgPotassium: 381mgFiber: 10gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 3343IUVitamin C: 185mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 2mg
Please do let us know in the Comments section below if you make this artichoke dip recipe as we love to hear how our recipes turn out for readers.
A travel and food writer who has experienced over 70 countries and written for The Guardian, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Feast, Delicious, National Geographic Traveller, Conde Nast Traveller, Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia, DestinAsian, TIME, CNN, The Independent, The Telegraph, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, AFAR, Wanderlust, International Traveller, Get Lost, Four Seasons Magazine, Fah Thai, Sawasdee, and more, as well as authored more than 40 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, DK, Footprint, Rough Guides, Fodors, Thomas Cook, and AA Guides.
