Recipe for white bean dip (or sandwich spread) with goat cheese and herbes de Provence
On any given holiday weekend, an unexpected guest might appear out of nowhere to fill an empty chair at my table. Unexpected does not mean unwelcome, but sometimes it means a few rabbits need to be pulled from hats to stretch the food. At times like those, it's great to have some quick appetizer ideas that use ingredients from the pantry. Fancy up this quick-and-easy white bean dip with crackers, pita wedges, raw vegetables or slices of fruit. In other words, raid the fridge and raid the pantry; all the "rabbits" you need are right there.
White bean dip with goat cheese and herbes de Provence
From the pantry, you'll need: cannellini beans, herbes de Provence, goat cheese, kosher salt, fresh black pepper.
Makes 1 cup.
Ingredients
15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 shallot, minced, or 2 tsp minced red onion
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 oz goat cheese
1/2 tsp herbes de Provence, crushed lightly in a mortar and pestle
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
Directions
In a large sauce pan (I use a 3-quart straight-sided pan), combine the beans, shallot and cream. Cook over low heat until the mixture is just below the boiling point, then add the goat cheese and herbes de Provence. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the cheese melts.
Remove pan from the heat and purée the mixture with an immersion blender (or let it cool slightly, then transfer to a food processor). I like to leave some texture in; you can make it as smooth as you wish. Taste, and season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the dip to a bowl, and press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to keep a skin from forming. When the bowl is cool enough, refrigerate until ready to serve. Let the dip come to room temperature.
Serve with crackers or vegetables, or use as a sandwich spread with roasted vegetables or grilled chicken.
More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
White bean garlic dip
Cannellini vinaigrette
Goat cheese-olive empanadas
Grilled vegetable and goat cheese puff pastry tart with zucchini, mushrooms, peppers and onions
Turkey and white bean chili
Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Baked white bean dip with rosemary and parmesan, from Pinch My Salt
White bean soup with bacon, feta, thyme and lemon, from Soup Chick
Cannellini beans, broccoli and tomatoes with Dijon vinaigrette, from Poor Girl Eats Well
Vegetarian mushroom and cannellini bean ragout, from Cookin' Canuck
Spicy cannellini bean salad with tuna, peperoncini, and parsley, from Kalyn's Kitchen
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I can't wait to make a veggie sandwich with this spread!
Maria, roasted peppers and zucchini, crusty bread, and some of this spread -- out of this world!
I am jumping for joy - I have all the ingredients and can include your wonderful recipe in my next meal - yea
Love this! I recently discovered the joys of white bean dip. So easy to prepare, and you can always have a spare can on hand!
Satonahat, this is great as a dip, and just as good as a sandwich spread. Enjoy!
TW, after years of eating hummus, I'm finally branching out to white bean dips this year. So easy, and everyone loves it.
Mmm...white bean dip is such a fave -- the goat cheese and herbs sounds heavenly in the mix.
What a delicious sounding dip!
Kelly, this one is really a great all-purpose dip, and the herbes de Provence give it a very slight lavender aroma.
Sylvie, it is lovely, and just as good on bruschetta or a sandwich, too.
I'm always looking for quick and easy ideas, and if they can play two roles like this one, even better.
Jeanette, I'm not sure, but I think I like this even better as a sandwich spread. Roasted veggies, leftover sliced turkey, lettuce and slow-roasted tomatoes ... all work well.
YUM!!
Oh wow, this looks so good! I just roasted some garlic for white bean dip, but found this recipe and would love to try it—do you think this would work with roasted garlic and herbed goat cheese, or would the tastes clash too much?
Sara, go for it! I'm sure it will taste delicious, and very close to what I've made here.