Goldfish-Crusted Okra with Spicy Tomato Dip

I’ve been writing and deleting for almost an hour now. What’s the problem? It’s that I’m trying to make okra exciting.

Personally, I get really excited about okra.

But it’s really not that exciting. It’s a vegetable. It’s green. It’s slimy. A lot of people don’t like hate it. It’s either breaded and fried, like most Southern vegetables. Or stewed with tomatoes, like a lot of other Southern vegetables. It’s not super versatile.

But like I said, I personally get really excited about okra.

Me: Yeah, okra for lunch! Can I have a side of okra with, uh, another side of okra? Can you make one of those a double-portion please?

Which is totally bizarre because I barely even knew what okra was until I went to college. And then we met that fated autumn, in a building on the quad, with yellowed leaves wafting in the breeze. And thus began my love affair with this slimy Southern vegetable. Yep.

And NOW, ta-da!, I’m making it! At home, for the first time! And it turned out goooood.

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Goldfish-Crusted Okra with Spicy Tomato Dip

Course Side

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Author my Bottomless Boyfriend

Ingredients

• 1 6.6 oz bag Goldfish I used Cheddar Made with Whole Grains
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper optional
• 1/2 cup fat free buttermilk
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 lb fresh okra pods trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch slices
• 1/2 cup Prego tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoons sriracha or as desired

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a 9x13 in. pan with cooking spray.
2. Pulse Goldfish in a food processor until they are the consistency of fine crumbs.
3. Combine Goldfish crumbs, black pepper, and red pepper (if desired) in a shallow dish. Set aside.
4. Whisk buttermilk and egg in a large bowl to combine.
5. Add okra to buttermilk mixture and toss to coat. Let stand 3 minutes.
6. Dredge okra in Goldfish crumb mixture.
7. Lay okra in single layer on prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 mintues, stirring once, until okra is golden brown and crispy.
8. To make dipping sauce: Mix Prego tomato sauce with sriracha.
9. Enjoy!

Notes: I developed this (super simple) recipe for a Campbell’s sponsored contest. Pepperidge Farm (Goldfish) and Prego are both Campbell’s brands.

My rating: 5/5 stars. Easy, Crunchy, Filling, Healthy, Unslimy (I don’t mind the slime, but I know some folks do), Goldfish, <3 Tomato-y Dipping Sauce. Just beware – it’s not as good re-heated – the Goldfish never get quite as crunchy the second time around.

The BBF’s rating: 4.5/5 stars. He didn’t get to taste test until they were a couple of hours out of the oven, so I’ll take it!

And because I want you to have a good weekend, here’s a little treat:

Kittens!