Roasted Garlic and White Bean Dip With Rosemary

Name: Roasted Garlic and White Bean Dip With Rosemary
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8 to 10 servings (2 1/2 cups)
Ingredients: 1 head garlic; 1 teaspoon, plus 5 tablespoons olive oil; 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, like cannellini, Great Northern or navy beans, drained and rinsed; 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon); 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus 1 full sprig; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1 pinch of cayenne, plus more for garnish (optional); 1 tablespoon hot water; 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

By Sarah Jampel

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 5(2,199)
Comments: Read comments

The idea of adding a whole head of garlic to a dip might scare you, but compared to its bracing raw counterpart, roasted garlic is sweet and mellow. This dip is garnished with a sprig of sizzled rosemary that's for more than just looks: Frying the herb infuses the olive oil with its fragrance. Spoon the remainder over your finished bowl for a hit of rosemary you wouldn’t get with just the minced leaves, then scoop it up with warm pita, cucumber spears, and carrot sticks.

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share
Print Options
Include recipe photo

Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings (2½ cups)

1head garlic
1teaspoon, plus 5 tablespoons olive oil
2(15-ounce) cans white beans, like cannellini, Great Northern or navy beans, drained and rinsed
3tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
1tablespoon roughly chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus 1 full sprig
¼teaspoon black pepper
1pinch of cayenne, plus more for garnish (optional)
1tablespoon hot water
1¼teaspoons kosher salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

Step 1
Roast the garlic: Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel off most of the garlic's outermost skin but leave the whole head intact. Trim about ¼ inch off the top of the garlic to expose the cloves. Place the garlic on a large piece of aluminum foil, then drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil over the exposed cloves and close the foil into a pouch. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until you can pierce the center of the head with a knife. Let cool slightly.
Step 2
Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the bowl of a food processor. Add the white beans, 4 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary leaves, black pepper, cayenne (if using), hot water and salt. Purée until smooth, then taste for salt, pepper, rosemary and lemon juice. Adjust as necessary. Transfer to a serving dish.
Step 3
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the remaining rosemary sprig — it should sizzle. Cook until brown and crisp, flipping once, about 1 minute per side, then transfer to the top of the dip as a garnish. Pour or spoon the remaining olive oil, now infused with rosemary, over the top of the dip. Sprinkle with cayenne for a little additional heat.

Tip

The roasted garlic can be made up to 2 weeks in advance. Wrap well and store in the refrigerator.

Ratings

5 out of 5

2,199 user ratings

Have you cooked this?

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

Debby5 years ago

I’ve made this twice now. The first time I followed the directions exactly. The second time I didn’t want to use my oven (waste of energy if you’re not also cooking other things), so I used a Cook’s Illustrated tip for mellowing garlic. I separated the garlic cloves but left the peels on and toasted them in a pan on the stove over medium heat until brown on at least one side then cooled and peeled them. I think I actually preferred this to the roasted garlic.

ERH6 years ago

I’d never roasted garlic before, but it was so easy (and strangely satisfying) to pop the roasted cloves out of their skins that I may consider it for other recipes. This dip was quite tasty fresh out of the food processor, but the flavors really came together after a day or two in the fridge. I served this with pita chips and sliced vegetables originally, and ate the leftovers on top of crusty toasted bread with avocado and hot sauce. A great, smoothly flavorful alternative to hummus!

Erin5 years ago

I read a cooking note that said the roasted garlic did not give this dip enough of a punch and suggested adding some raw garlic. I’m a garlic lover, so i decided to throw in a clove of raw garlic along with the entire bulb of roasted garlic...what harm could that do? Well, as it turns out i really shouldn't have done that. It tasted really sharp and overpowering. I would recommend following this recipe EXACTLY and tasting before deciding whether or not to add more garlic.

Anon O. Miss1 week ago

This is a favorite recipe of mine. I love the rosemary. You might think twice about heating olive oil to medium high for anything though. Olive oil oxidizes at around 300 degrees. Use avocado oil for higher temperatures. I heat the oil to medium low and add two sprigs of rosemary plus a little garlic and let it simmer while the garlic roasts. I use some of that oil in the dip too. The rest on top.

Saskia1 month ago

Question! 2 (15 oz) tins: does this refer to 2 x 15 oz tins, or 2 tins equaling a total of 15 oz? 15 oz tins aren’t commonly used in Australia, so I thought it best to double-check.

Rae2 months ago

Made this true to recipe. It truly needed 24 hrs for flavors to come together. It just tasted like lemon and rosemary right off, but really came together! Will make again for sure!

Private comments are only visible to you.