Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Quick & Easy White Bean and Sage Dip (Garlicky Enough for National Garlic Day!)

This simple dip has become one of my very favorite snacks or party pupus after finding it in a magazine and making it for the first time a few months ago. Only four ingredients (plus salt and pepper of course), and it goes together in a jiffy. White beans, sage and garlic is one of my favorite combinations and I find that even people who don't think they like beans or sage love this dip.


After making 18 cups of it last week, served with carrots and multi-grain chips as one of the healthy snack examples at the wellness event I was working on (and where it was a huge hit), I thought I wouldn't want to make it again for quite a while. (That came from the tedium of peeling and slicing 40 garlic cloves, chopping 2 1/2 cups of sage and mashing 10 cans of beans with a potato masher.) But tonight I was craving it once more, so I whipped up a quick batch for dinner. Served with some of my favorite garlic bread from a local bakery and a simple green salad, it was a simple, satisfying, meat-free dinner--and a good way to honor National Garlic Day today. ;-)


Quick & Easy White Bean and Sage Dip

Health Magazine, Sept. 09: Adapted from “Jam it, Pickle it, Cure it” by Karen Solomon.
(Makes about 1 3/4 cups)
Time: 20 min

1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more to garnish
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh sage leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and drain beans. Place in a bowl, and mash with fork until a chunky mash; set aside. Heat a small pan over medium heat, add the 2 tablespoons olive oil, and let it warm. Add the sliced garlic and chopped sage. Stir constantly for 4 minutes or until garlic is lightly browned and sage is crispy. Pour hot oil over beans and stir. Garnish with 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with veggies, pita chips or whole-grain crackers. Dip can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to one week.

Nutritional Info: Per 2 Tbsp serving: calories 79; Fat 4 g (sat: 1g, mono: 3g); cholesterol 0mg; protein 3g; carbohydrates 8g, sugars 0g; fiber 2g; iron 1mg; sodium 52mg; calcium 25mg.


Notes/Results: Delicious, savory, sagey-garlicky-beany goodness! There is not that much more to say, just that you really need to make this dip. And if you are a bean and sage lover, trust me and double the recipe--you'll be happy you made extra. It also makes a great sandwich or wrap spread.

Is there a garlicky dish on your menu for National Garlic Day?!?

12 comments:

  1. didn't know it was NGD, this dip sounds delicious!

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  2. sounds garlicky and I love anything garlicky, perfect dip :)

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  3. Aloha!
    I didn't know about National Garlic Day! I make a similar dip using lots of fresh rosemary which also goes really well with the beans and garlic.

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  4. I came to know about National garlic day from Heather's blog. This dip sounds awesome perfect. I am making some garlic bread.

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  5. I totally missed out on NGD and the worse part is that I don't even think I had any garlic to celebrate. You know I'm loving this dip. You know you found a keeper recipe when you made 18 cups of it and then go back for more. Looks delicious Deb!

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  6. Kat--it is! ;-)

    Nitha--thank you!

    Priya--me too--I love my garlic. ;-)

    Susie Bee--I love rosemary with beans too and have a similar dip but there is something about the sage in this that I love. ;-)

    Swathi--thank you! I love garlic bread too. ;-)

    Kim--no garlic!? OMG! ;-) BTW--I just made the 18 cups--I didn't eat them! I think I had two "taster" bites the night before and one the day I served it.

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  7. Dips like these are the kind of thing that i could get severely addicted to...in a good way. I'm watching one of my friends' herb gardens right now since she went home to study for the boards and the sage is running rampant! Perfect to use up in this recipe!

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  8. Joanne--it was a great use for my sage plant and fairly guilt free--I definitely recommend whipping up a batch--good for study breaks. ;-)

    Rebecca--thank you! ;-)

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  9. This looks fantastic! What a lovely looking dish... garlic and sage make a GREAT combo.

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  10. I have never seen a recipe with so much sage but this looks great! Healthy, flavourful, what's not to love? :)

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