Sun-Dried Tomato and White Bean Spread with Basil
Creamy blended cannellini and sun-dried tomato spread, bright with basil and lemon for a fiber-rich summer snack.
Best for A high-fiber, plant-protein snack rich in lycopene to carry you between meals
This is the Italian antipasto move done smarter: instead of a fatty cheese dip, you blend cannellini beans and sun-dried tomatoes into a spread that's silky, savory and deeply satisfying. The beans bring plant protein and fiber, the tomatoes bring concentrated lycopene and a sweet-tart punch, and a hit of lemon and fresh basil keeps it summer-light. Scoop it onto seeded crackers or cucumber rounds and it eats like something far more indulgent than it is.
Ingredients
- 400 g cannellini beans , drained weight about 240 g
- 60 g oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes , reserve 1 tbsp of the oil
- 30 ml olive oil , plus more to finish
- 15 ml fresh lemon juice , from about half a lemon
- 1 garlic cloves , small, peeled
- 8 fresh basil leaves , plus extra to garnish
- 30 ml water , to loosen, as needed
- 3 g fine sea salt , or to taste
- 1 g red pepper flakes (optional – can be omitted)
Instructions
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1
Combine the drained cannellini beans, sun-dried tomatoes, reserved tomato oil, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and basil leaves in a food processor. Add the salt and red pepper flakes if using.
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2
Blend until mostly smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides. Drizzle in the water a little at a time with the motor running until the spread is creamy and scoopable but not runny.
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3
Taste and adjust with more salt or lemon. Scrape into a bowl, swirl the surface with the back of a spoon, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil, torn basil and a few extra tomato slivers. Serve with seeded crackers, cucumber rounds or whole-grain toast.