A Perfect Feast

Cannellini Dip with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Swirls is a summer appetizer filled with tender cannellini beans, garlic, and lemon juice. The swirls are made up of sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, basil, extra virgin olive oil, and more garlic. I like to serve this dip with fresh vegetables, like carrots and red peppers. But, I think it’s also good with flatbread crackers or toasted baguette slices. I think it also makes a good spread for whole grain toast, and I love to eat the leftover dip that way for breakfasts or lunches.

The Equipment You’ll Need

• A Food Processor- You’ll need this to puree your cannellini beans.

The Ingredients You’ll Need for Cannellini Dip with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Swirls

• Cannellini Beans- I always use dry beans, because I think the canned ones smell funky. But, you can absolutely substitute two cups of canned beans for this recipe. This time I used dried beans made by Manitou Trading Company. I found them in the organic section at Stop and Shop, and I have to say they were super plump and creamy compared to cheaper brands.
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil- I like the California Ranch brand.
• Garlic- I like to buy the containers of the pre-peeled cloves and keep them in the freezer. You don’t need to defrost them first, and they’re super handy to always have them.
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes- I like the dry ones, not the ones sitting in jars of oil. The oily ones always look weird and discolored to me, so I always buy the dry ones, and keep them in the freezer.
• Pine nuts- I keep them in the freezer, too.
• Kosher salt- I always use Diamond Kosher Salt, as it’s less salty than other brands.

How I Made This Dip

• I soaked the beans before I went to bed.
• As the beans simmered, I made the sun-dried tomato pesto and peeled and washed all my carrots and radishes.
• Once the beans were done, I put everything in the food processor and made the dip.
• I served this at dinner, as a vegetable side dish.

This dish was a big hit with my family. I served it with some not very gourmet accompaniments, hot dogs and frozen French fries. But, as it turned out, my family seemed to really enjoy this meal. One person spooned his dip on a hot dog, and pronounced it delicious. And, my little garlic hater, actually dipped her fries in the dip and said it was yummy. I’m a great believer in not forcing kids to try new things, but to just serve lots of healthy foods along with their favorites and let them try them in their own time. Sometimes kids need to see the new foods many times, before they even taste a nibble of it. So, whether you’re cooking for bean lovers or bean haters, I hope you’ll try this healthy and delicious Cannellini Dip with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Swirls.

Cannellini Dip with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Swirls

Cannellini Dip with swirls of sun-dried tomatoes.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Soaking Time- overnight 7 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8

Equipment

• Food processor

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup dried cannellini beans or two cups of canned beans
• 3 tbsp. minced garlic
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. fresh basil
• 1 tbsp. pine nuts

Instructions

 

• Rinse the beans and then soak them overnight, covered in water, in the refrigerator.
• Drain the beans and place them in a three quart saucepan, covered by several inches of water. Boil for ten minutes, and then cover the pot and simmer for 75 minutes or until the beans are tender.
• Drain the beans and then place them in the food processor along with two tablespoons of the garlic, a quarter cup of the oil, and the salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Puree until smooth and then put the dip in a serving dish.
• In a clean food processor bowl, add the tomatoes, basil, pine nuts, the rest of the oil and garlic, and a pinch of salt. Process until smooth and then swirl it through the dip.

Keyword cannellini bean, dip

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