Barb Hodgens
Barb Hodgens

Barb Hodgens loves to cook with alternative, healthy whole food ingredients, with a focus on gut health. Barb has overcome her own gut health issues through healthy eating. Share your ideas, comments and photos at the end of this post :)

Labneh with roast cherry tomatoes and pesto

A few ingredients yield something so delicious!

If you're looking for a fresh summer appetiser to add to your collection of healthy recipes, you'll love this creamy labneh, with juicy roasted cherry tomatoes, and dollops of homemade pesto. This combination yields a decadent, creamy, and rich appetiser dip. It’s simple, rustic perfection that’s delicious and looks colourful on a table. Serve it with crusty bread, naan, or crackers. This one’s perfect for sharing with a crowd and best of all, each component can be made ahead of time.

Labneh with roast cherry tomatoes and pesto

COMPONENTS

LABNEH
Labneh is a very thick, creamy Middle Eastern yogurt, often described as a yogurt cheese due to its cream cheese consistency. Labneh is tangier than store bought cream cheese however, and when made with homemade yogurt it’s guaranteed to be chock full of gut loving bacteria. Making labneh is super easy, all you need to do is strain homemade yogurt in a cheesecloth until the whey has drained. The longer you allow the yogurt to strain, the firmer your labneh will be. Stored in an airtight glass container, homemade labneh will keep for several months in the fridge. Go to our homemade labneh post for a lot more detail on how to make labneh at home.

TOMATOES
The best tomatoes to use for this recipe are cherry or grape tomatoes. These tomatoes are perfectly bite sized and bake in no time at all. When roasted they become concentrated, tender, bite sized, sweet and lightly caramelised bursts of flavour.

PESTO
We use our classic, made from scratch pesto for maximum flavour. Made in the Vibe Blender System it comes together in less than a minute and tastes worlds better than anything store-bought because it’s so fresh. Homemade pesto can be made ahead of time and stored in a sealed glass container for up to a week in the fridge. 

Labneh with roast cherry tomatoes and pesto

TO SERVE

Once you have all the components, plating up is easy. When you serve labneh, you can present it in different ways. We have simply untied the cheesecloth and left it in its rustic form. The traditional method would be to smooth it in a shallow bowl, creating a ‘well’ in the centre. No matter how you present it, finish the dish with flaky sea salt and black pepper.

Labneh with roast cherry tomatoes and pesto

Labneh with roast cherry tomatoes and pesto

Labneh with roast cherry tomatoes and pesto

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Labneh with roast cherry tomatoes and pesto