White Bean Hummus with Roasted Lemons
I don't know about you but who doesn’t love to have under their sleeve a healthy and easy recipe that not only is delicious but will impress a crowd as well? Enter this silky and creamy white bean hummus. But this is not your typical after thought dip where you just throw everything in a food processor, whip and serve with some store bought crackers. Nooooo!! This hummus is full of love. Every layer is enhanced and infused for an ultimate flavor fest in each bite.
I started by roasting the lemons for the lemon juice portion of the hummus. Roasting the lemons makes them sweeter and mellower and their flavor blends better with the rest of the ingredients. I also toasted the pine nuts to enhance that buttery texture, plus they add such a nice bite to the hummus, it’s the perfect topping.
The clever step though was to infuse the beans instead of just opening a can and throwing them in the food processor. Now, I have never been a fan of bouillions. Not even the ones the gourmet food stores sell. Their ingredient’s list just doesn't cut it for me. And it’s a shame because I know how convenient they can be and how many dishes you can create with them. That’s why I was super happy to discover a new kind of bouillion, free of artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or MSG. The ingredient lists says it all. I discovered them after the people of Knorr asked me to give them a try and create a recipe using one of them. They have chicken bouillion, tomato and chicken bouillion and, the one I really want to try, vegetable bouillion. Completely plant based!
Bouillions are great for soups and stews but I wanted to try them in a different light. That’s why I thought of this white beans hummus I ‘ve been wanting to do for a while now. I dissolved the bouillion in the warm olive oil and cooked the beans just for five minutes so they could soak all the good flavor notes of the olive oil and the vegetable boullion. From there, I just added some salt, cumin and pureed in the food processor with the traditional tahini, garlic, lemon juice and some of the beans liquid for a very silky and smooth texture. Toasted pine nuts on top with a good sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper, a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil and roasted lemon juice will create the perfect finish for this beloved dish.
My garlic toasts are a must. A mixture of olive oil, butter and garlic to spread oven toasted baguette slices that will be warmed again to let the bread soak all that deliciousness. They make a great compliment to this delicious and silky white bean hummus. Infusing the beans with the boullion is key. Trust me!!
Hoping you enjoy this idea. Everyone will be raving over it!
Recipe Notes
Roasting the lemons is completely optional, but it truly adds a nice depth of flavor to the final hummus.
This recipe is perfect for making in your countertop oven. no need to turn on the big one if you don’t want to.
I used a low sodium white beans can. If using regular canned white beans, use just ¼ cup of the liquid and complete the ½ cup with water.
For this recipe you may soften the butter in the microwave by heating in 10-second intervals in low power. You just need the butter soft enough to mix it with the other ingredients.
You can totally cut the recipe in half to make just one can of white beans.
White Bean Hummus with Roasted Lemons
Ingredients
White Beans Hummus
◯ Lemons – 4 halved and 1 quartered to serve
◯ Extra virgin olive oil - ⅓ cup + a bit more to drizzle lemons
◯ Pine nuts (optional) – 2 TBSP
◯ Knorr Vegetable Bouillion – ½ cube
◯ White small beans, drained, rinsed and liquid reserved – 2 15oz-cans
◯ Ground cumin – ½ Tsp
◯ Fresh thyme sprigs, leaves scraped – 6 to 8, or more if desired
◯ Fine sea salt – 1 Tsp
◯ Sesame tahini – ½ cup
◯ Reserved white beans liquid (see notes) – ½ cup
◯ Lemon juice from roasted lemons (see notes) – ½ cup
◯ Freshly ground black pepper to serve
Garlic Toasts
◯ Grass-fed butter, softened (see notes) – 3 TBSP
◯ Extra virgin olive oil – 2 TBSP
◯ Ground or finely chopped garlic – ¼ Tsp or more to taste
◯ Small baguette slices
Details
Yield:
about 4 cups of hummus
Total time and Active time:
35 minutes
Equipment:
food processor, large skillet, spatula
Steps
To make the hummus:
Preheat oven to 400°. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top of lemons. Place them on a baking sheet and roast until edges are a bit scorched, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let them cool down before squeezing. Do not turn off oven if doing the garlic toasts.
In a non-stick large skillet toast the pine nuts over medium heat, moving and shaking the pan frequently to prevent them from burning. When they are golden brown and pretty fragrant that means they are ready. Transfer to a small bowl.
In the same skillet add the remaining oil and heat over medium low heat. Add the half-cube of the Knorr vegetable bouillion and using a silicon spatula mash it into the oil. Heat just until the bouillion has dissolved into the oil. Do not let the oil fry.
Add the beans, cumin, thyme leaves and salt and mix. Cook for 5 minutes just to heat thru the beans and infuse them with the rest of the ingredients. Mix often. Retire from heat and wait a minute before transferring the beans to the food processor.
In the meantime, squeeze the roasted lemons to get ½ cup of lemon juice. If you don’t reach that measurement, just complete it with freshly squeezed lemon juice or the liquid form the beans.
Transfer the beans to the food processor with the tahini and pulse 20 seconds. Scrape down the wall and pulse 20 seconds more. Add the reserved beans liquid and lemon juice and pulse for about a minute. Scrape down the walls again and pulse a minute or a bit more until you achieve a smooth texture. Technically you can serve it right away but it’s better if you place it in the fridge to improve its texture and flavors. In the meantime make the garlic toasts. (Recipe follows)
Transfer hummus to a deep plate and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Arrange the pine nuts on top and drizzle a bit of extra oil and extra roasted lemon juice from the roasted lemon wedges. Serve with garlic toasts.
To make the garlic toasts: Place slices of bread on a wire rack in the oven. Toast for 3 to 4 minutes or until they feel toasted to the touch, then spread on each slice the butter-oil-garlic mixture. Keep in the oven for two more minutes, until the butter seems melted and the mixture seems absorbed by bread.
