Tuscan White Bean & Rosemary Dip with Garden Crudités
Silky cannellini dip whipped with rosemary, garlic and olive oil, served with crisp raw vegetables.
Best for A fiber- and plant-protein-rich snack that keeps you full between meals without a sugar crash.
This is the dip I make when I want something that tastes indulgent but actually loves me back. Cannellini beans blend into a cloud that rivals hummus, carrying woodsy rosemary, sweet confited garlic and a generous stream of good olive oil. It's pure Tuscan pantry cooking: humble legumes turned silky, bright with lemon, and built for scooping with cold, snappy crudités.
Ingredients
- 480 g cannellini beans , two 240 g drained cans; reserve some bean liquid
- 60 ml olive oil , plus extra for drizzling
- 3 garlic cloves , peeled
- 1 fresh rosemary , 1 tbsp finely chopped, from about 2 sprigs
- 1 lemon , juice and finely grated zest
- 4 g fine sea salt , about 3/4 tsp, to taste
- 45 ml water , for loosening, as needed
- 2 carrots , peeled, cut into batons
- 3 celery stalks , cut into sticks
- 6 radishes , halved
- 1 cucumber , cut into spears
- 1 red endive or Belgian endive , leaves separated (optional – can be omitted)
Instructions
-
1
Warm the olive oil, whole garlic cloves and chopped rosemary in a small skillet over low heat. Let them gently sizzle, swirling often, until the garlic turns pale gold and the oil smells deeply of rosemary. Don't let the garlic brown or it will taste bitter. Remove from the heat and cool for a couple of minutes; this infuses the oil and mellows the garlic's raw bite.
-
2
Scrape the warm oil, garlic and rosemary into a food processor. Add the drained cannellini beans, lemon juice and zest, and salt. Blend until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides. With the motor running, trickle in cold water or reserved bean liquid a splash at a time until the dip is light and spoonable, like a thick whipped cloud. Taste and adjust with more salt or lemon.
-
3
Spread the dip into a shallow bowl and use the back of a spoon to swirl a well across the surface. Drizzle generously with extra olive oil, scatter with a little more chopped rosemary and cracked black pepper. Arrange the carrots, celery, radishes, cucumber and endive leaves alongside and serve. The dip keeps, covered, in the fridge for up to 4 days; let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.