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.
- 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.
17 Comments
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February 10, 2017 at 5:38 pm[…] White Bean Bruschetta from In Good Taste […]
Judith
December 10, 2012 at 9:09 pmI made this tonight and it was totally yummy. A great vegetarian appetizer. We will serve it for Christmas dinner!
Abby
November 19, 2012 at 9:19 pmpreparing 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 🙂
Chris
May 2, 2011 at 5:23 pmThis looks easy and tasty !!!!
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February 10, 2011 at 9:19 pm[…] White Bean Bruschetta from In Good Taste […]
Amine
January 20, 2011 at 12:34 pmThank you great article
r.joaquin
October 9, 2010 at 7:25 pmrecipes are great.
To Kiss the Cook
September 29, 2010 at 2:18 pmI was very happily picking off the leftover white beans once all toasts had been polished off. Thanks for the fun fete!
Carissa
September 22, 2010 at 4:38 amwhat 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!
Laurie
September 21, 2010 at 12:22 pmI’d love to see more healthy & figure friendly appetizers — especially heading into the holiday season. Thanks for this one; it looks delicious!
Sues
September 20, 2010 at 11:15 pmThis 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!
ErinsFoodFiles
September 20, 2010 at 4:52 pmRefreshing!
Joanne
September 20, 2010 at 2:06 pmThis is almost like white bean dip REconstructed! Which I love. Sounds like the perfect healthy appetizer for a party!
The Duo Dishes
September 20, 2010 at 2:03 pmAwesome to see you kept the beans whole. A lot of people blend them up to a paste. Yours has nice texture.
Kristen
September 20, 2010 at 12:54 pmSounds (and looks) so super delicious!
Daryl
September 20, 2010 at 12:48 pmWow those look so good and very healthy too
DessertForTwo
September 20, 2010 at 11:05 amWhite beans + rosemary is my favorite combination! I have 2 huge wild rosemary bushes on my property and we indulge quite frequently! This looks yummy!