Food and Recipes Recipes Creamy Spinach-Ricotta Crostini Crostinis are simple, fancy appetizers. By Marianne Williams Marianne Williams Marianne Williams is a recipe tester and developer who has been working in the Dotdash Meredith test kitchens since 2016. Her recipes are featured in Food & Wine, Southern Living, Real Simple, Rachael Ray, Health, Cooking Light, and in various other publications and digital platforms. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on November 16, 2021 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 15 mins Servings: 8 Jump to recipe We firmly believe that appetizers should be easy. Why spend hours preparing little bites when you can devote that time to the main event—or better yet, spend some extra time sitting around the fire with your family? This holiday season, we've devised a quick 15-minute appetizer that helps you make the most of your time in the kitchen. This Creamy Spinach-Ricotta Crostini is the simple, elegant appetizer that will carry you through countless holiday parties. A handy food processor takes all the leg-work out of this recipe. Rather than spend precious prep time mincing garlic and finely chopping herbs, simply combine all these ingredients in the food processor and pulse. This time-saving trick is particularly useful around the holidays, when we've got a whole dinner and dessert to worry about. Combining the spinach and herbs right in with the cheese results in a lovely green-hued spread, ideal for topping little baguette slices. This bright green ricotta spread is a great match for prosciutto; for a tasty twist, pair with pita chips for an easy take on spinach dip. Ingredients 5 ounces baby spinach ½ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley ½ cup roughly chopped fresh chives 1 medium garlic clove, chopped ⅔ cup whole-milk ricotta cheese 5 ounces goat cheese, softened 1 ½ ounces pecorino Romano, finely shredded (about ½ cup) 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon), plus zest for garnish 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon black pepper 3 tablespoons olive oil 16 (½-inch-thick) baguette slices, toasted 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn Directions Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high. Add spinach; cook, stirring occasionally, until bright green and wilted, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl of ice water to cool 3 minutes. Drain. Squeeze spinach between paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible. Combine spinach, parsley, chives, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, about 12 times. Add ricotta, goat cheese, pecorino Romano, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth, about 25 seconds, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add olive oil, and process until incorporated, 5 to 10 seconds. Spinach-ricotta mixture can be chilled in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Spread about 2 tablespoons spinach-ricotta mixture over each baguette slice. Top with prosciutto; garnish with zest. Print