White Bean Bruschetta with Olive Oil & Herbs

Cooking for a Crowd, Recipes, Small Plates & Snacks
white bean bruschetta
white bean bruschetta

Photo: Leigh Loftus

On Friday night, I had a little party. It involved a few friends, a few appetizers and a few more bottles of wine. When I have parties, big or small, I love to revolve the menu around the appetizers. I like appetizers better than the main course, sometimes even better than the desserts.The problem, of course, with a lot of my favorite appetizers, is that the main ingredient is usually cheese. Tarts, baked brie and hearty spinach-artichoke dips, while delicious, are anything but figure-friendly.

Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against cheese-laden, calorie bomb appetizers as an occasional indulgence. But, it’s about time that I added a few lighter snacks into my par-tay repertoire.

White Bean Bruschetta is a refreshing alternative to traditional tomato bruschetta, with rosemary adding depth of flavor and heart-healthy olive oil playing a starring role. Finish it with a drizzle of high-quality, flavored balsamic vinegar for an extra splash of flavor.

white bean bruschetta

Photo: Leigh Loftus

White Bean Bruschetta with Olive Oil & Herbs
Author: 
Recipe type: Small Plates & Snacks, Cooking for a Crowd
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8-12
 
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, divided (I like rosemary in the winter and chives in the summer)
  • 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 (10-ounce) French bread baguette, cut into 24 (1/2-inch-thick) slices
  • Balsamic vinegar (traditional or flavored)
  • 1. Preheat oven to 350º. Place bread on a baking sheet. Bake at 350º for 5 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. TIP: IF you're short on time, purchase crostini from the bakery department of your grocery store.
  • 2. Set white beans in a medium bowl. In another bowl or in the body of an oil mister, combine ¼ cup oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic (if you're using an oil mister, you can prepare the oil up to two days ahead of time so that flavors will combine).
  • 3. Add oil mixture to beans and combine thoroughly. Top each piece of crostini with a heaping tablespoon of beans. Garnish with additional rosemary and finish with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
(Visited 750 times, 1 visits today)
Previous Story
Next Story

You Might Also Like

17 Comments

  • Reply
    Valentine's Day Dinner for a Date, Group or Solo Night
    February 10, 2017 at 5:38 pm

    […] White Bean Bruschetta from In Good Taste […]

  • Reply
    Judith
    December 10, 2012 at 9:09 pm

    I made this tonight and it was totally yummy. A great vegetarian appetizer. We will serve it for Christmas dinner!

  • Reply
    Abby
    November 19, 2012 at 9:19 pm

    preparing to make this for thanksgiving apps this year , wondering what ppl think of balsamic on it ..im also making goat cheese and tomato bruschetta with balsamic reduction … maybe ill skip the balsamic on this recipe not sure if everyone in the family likes it , reviews on who actually has made this would help 🙂

  • Reply
    Chris
    May 2, 2011 at 5:23 pm

    This looks easy and tasty !!!!

  • Reply
    Three Perfect Valentine’s Day Menus
    February 10, 2011 at 9:19 pm

    […] White Bean Bruschetta from In Good Taste […]

  • Reply
    Amine
    January 20, 2011 at 12:34 pm

    Thank you great article

  • Reply
    r.joaquin
    October 9, 2010 at 7:25 pm

    recipes are great.

  • Reply
    To Kiss the Cook
    September 29, 2010 at 2:18 pm

    I was very happily picking off the leftover white beans once all toasts had been polished off. Thanks for the fun fete!

  • Reply
    Carissa
    September 22, 2010 at 4:38 am

    what an interesting take on bruschetta, which I love! 🙂 I’m not sure if I’m a big fan of white beans, I haven’t eaten them much, but I pretty much adore anything with olive oil and balsamic, so I’m thinking I’ll have to give this a try!

  • Reply
    Laurie
    September 21, 2010 at 12:22 pm

    I’d love to see more healthy & figure friendly appetizers — especially heading into the holiday season. Thanks for this one; it looks delicious!

  • Reply
    Sues
    September 20, 2010 at 11:15 pm

    This looks like the perfect little party app! I was hanging out with Jessi L. earlier in the day and she told me she was going to a little gathering at your house that evening 🙂 Kinda wish I lived in Chicago!

  • Reply
    ErinsFoodFiles
    September 20, 2010 at 4:52 pm

    Refreshing!

  • Reply
    Joanne
    September 20, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    This is almost like white bean dip REconstructed! Which I love. Sounds like the perfect healthy appetizer for a party!

  • Reply
    The Duo Dishes
    September 20, 2010 at 2:03 pm

    Awesome to see you kept the beans whole. A lot of people blend them up to a paste. Yours has nice texture.

  • Reply
    Kristen
    September 20, 2010 at 12:54 pm

    Sounds (and looks) so super delicious!

  • Reply
    Daryl
    September 20, 2010 at 12:48 pm

    Wow those look so good and very healthy too

  • Reply
    DessertForTwo
    September 20, 2010 at 11:05 am

    White beans + rosemary is my favorite combination! I have 2 huge wild rosemary bushes on my property and we indulge quite frequently! This looks yummy!

  • Leave a Reply

    Rate this recipe:  

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.