White Bean Hummus
Hummus is one of those things in life that can be celebrated for it’s versatility. You can use it as a dip for pita chips, whole grain crackers, carrot sticks, and loads of other veggies, or you can use it as a spread for sandwiches and wraps. You can also use a variety of beans as the star ingredient, such as white beans, edamame, garbanzos, or even black beans. The beans can be jazzed up easily with herbs, roasted red peppers, jalapenos, pesto, pine nuts, etc. The list just goes on and on. One of my favorite varieties is White Bean Hummus with lemon juice to brighten up the flavor, and roasted garlic for a nice, mellow garlic flavor. I serve it often as an appetizer with carrot sticks and either pita chips or whole grain crackers. It’s not just an appetizer — it’s also a hearty and satisfying snack that even kids won’t balk at. 😉
I put this hummus together yesterday because I realized I didn’t have anything to munch on for the NFL playoff game. I think the playoffs require munchies. I grabbed four cloves of garlic, unpeeled, drizzled a bit of olive oil over them, and wrapped them up in aluminum foil. I popped them in my 400 degree oven and roasted them for about 25 minutes. While they cooled, I rinsed and drained one can of Cannellini beans, and added them to my food processor. I also added the juice of one lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper. I squeezed the garlic cloves out of the peels, and added them to the bean mixture. I gave it a good whir in the food processor until it was nice, and smooth. If you prefer to have a more prevalent garlic flavor, just add one raw, minced clove of garlic and omit the roasted garlic altogether. This White Bean Hummus is smooth, creamy, and pops with freshness. Top with a few toasted pine nuts, flat leaf parsley and a drizzle of olive oil and serve! This is one dip you don’t have to feel guilty about eating. 🙂
- (4) large garlic cloves, unpeeled
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- (1) 15 ounce can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- juice of one lemon
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the garlic cloves in the center of a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil, and wrap up in a bundle. Place the garlic on the middle rack of the oven and roast 25 minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Remove from the foil and squeeze the cloves out of the peel and set aside.
- Add the beans, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the hummus is nice and smooth. Place the hummus in a serving bowl and top with toasted pine nuts, flat leaf parsley, and another drizzle of olive oil, if desired. Serve with pita chips, whole grain crackers, or veggies.
If you don't roast the garlic, there is no cooking time, which means this recipe only requires 5 minutes of prep. You can't beat that!
