This creamy, cheesy dip is spiked with green chiles and smoky chipotle pepper. Be sure to drain the ricotta the day before you want to serve the dip. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

Green Chili and Goat Cheese Dip

Makes 24 servings (3 cups).

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes (plus 24 hours to drain ricotta)

1 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese, drained (see Tips)

8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

2 4-ounce cans chopped green chiles

2 tablespoons toasted pepitas (see Tips)

1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper, or to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Coat a glass pie pan with cooking spray. Mash together ricotta and goat cheese in a medium bowl. Drain chiles in a colander or sieve, pressing to remove as much liquid as possible. Stir into the cheese mixture. Spread evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with pepitas and chipotle.

Bake until the dip is bubbling at the edges, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Recipe tips: To drain ricotta, spoon into a sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecloth or a large coffee filter. Place over a bowl and drain in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Pepitas, olive-green-hulled pumpkin seeds, are commonly used in Mexican cooking and are a perfect snack when roasted and lightly salted. Find them in the bulk-foods section of natural-foods markets, Mexican grocers or at melissas.com. To toast pepitas: Cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 53 calories; 3 g fat (2 g sat, 1 g mono); 10 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrate; 4 g protein; 0 g fiber; 78 mg sodium; 35 mg potassium.

0 Carbohydrate servings

Exchanges: 1 high fat meat

(EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com.)