Creamy homemade labneh served with roasted tomatoes and crusty bread is the easy appetizer or light meal your summer dreams are made of. The creamy labneh is just perfect with the juicy tomatoes.
What is labneh?
Labneh is a soft cheese made by straining yogurt, allowing all the whey to separate and leaving soft curds behind. The longer you allow the yogurt to strain, the firmer your labneh will be. For this recipe I wanted to have a smooth, spreadable consistency so I didn’t leave the yogurt to strain for too long but you could leave it overnight in the fridge if you wanted a more cream cheese-like consistency.
Ingredients
Full recipe with amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Yogurt. Greek yogurt is best.
- Salt and pepper.
- Tomatoes. I used a combination of ripe tomatoes in all colors.
- Fresh basil.
- Vinegar. I used red wine vinegar but Balsamic will also work.
- Olive oil.
- Lemon zest.Â
How to make labneh
- In a large bowl mix plain, Greek yogurt with salt. Line a sieve with muslin/cheesecloth then transfer the yogurt mixture to the cloth. Bring the sides together and tie with kitchen twine.
- Allow to strain: Suspend the labneh from a rack set over a bowl ( I actually tied it to my kitchen faucet) and allow to strain for 3 hours. If you want a firmer cheese, leave it overnight in the fridge.
- Season: Once strained, transfer the labneh to a bowl then season to taste with pepper and lemon zest.
How to roast tomatoes
- Roast: Wash the tomatoes then add to a large roasting dish. Drizzle over the vinegar and olive oil then season generously with salt and pepper. Add half of the basil leaves then place in the oven and allow to roast for 30-40 minutes or until the tomatoes are blistered, soft and have released their juices.
- Serve: Serve the roasted tomatoes and all of its juices over labneh with crusty bread.
How to eat labneh
I love serving it this way, topped with tomatoes and served with crusty bread as a simple appetizer. However, it can be used in the same way you would use cream cheese or soft goat’s cheese. As a dip for vegetables, spread on sandwiches. You could also serve it with fresh honey and fruit for a delicious breakfast (just leave out the pepper).
Easy summer appetizer recipes
Creamy labneh with roasted tomatoes
Ingredients
For the Labneh
- 1 kg Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp lemon zest (1 medium lemon's worth)
For the roasted tomatoes
- 800 g (1½lbs) baby tomatoes roughly chopped/halved
- 2 tbsp fresh basil
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix plain, Greek yogurt with salt. Line a sieve with muslin/cheesecloth then transfer the yogurt mixture to the cloth.
- Bring the sides together and tie with kitchen twine.
- Suspend the labneh from a rack set over a bowl ( I actually tied it to my kitchen faucet) and allow to strain for 3 hours.
- If you want a firmer cheese, leave it overnight in the fridge.
- Once strained, transfer the labneh to a bowl then season to taste with pepper and lemon zest.Â
- Wash the tomatoes then add to a large roasting dish. Drizzle over the vinegar and olive oil then season generously with salt and pepper.
- Add half of the basil leaves then place in the oven and allow to roast for 30-40 minutes or until the tomatoes are blistered, soft and have released their juices.Â
- Serve the roasted tomatoes and all of its juices over labneh with crusty bread.
Nutrition
The roasted tomatoes on a bed of Labneh looks wonderful but no where in the ingredients is the amt of lemon zest mentioned! I figure probably all the zest of one large lemon will suffice? Love your recipes and have made many of them for some delicious meals.
Regards Debbie B North Vancouver BC Canada
So sorry about that Debbie, I’ve amended the recipe. Thanks so much for your lovely comment.