White Bean Dip

If you’ve been to my house for drinks or dinner, you have no doubt eaten this dip; it’s one of my favorites. Although I think it’s best after it sits for an hour or more so the flavors meld, it’s also my go-to when I need to pull together a snack and don’t have much time or a lot of ingredients on-hand—it takes less than five minutes to pull together. Feel free to swap in dried herbs if you don’t have fresh (use a teaspoon of dried herbs to start, then add more if needed) and mix up the types; I’ve made this with rosemary, thyme, oregano, dill, and dried herbes d’Provence. You can also swap in a teaspoon of smoked paprika, or top it with a pinch of crushed red chile flakes. Most importantly, relax, pour yourself a drink and pull out some crackers or veggies to eat with it.

Makes 2 cups

1 15-5-oz can Great Northern or other white beans, drained

2 small cloves garlic

1 TSBS chopped rosemary, thyme or oregano

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

Combine beans, garlic, rosemary and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and process until evenly blended, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then process again for 10 seconds so everything is evenly mixed.

With the machine running, pour in the olive oil. Taste, and add more salt or olive oil as needed. Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to three days before eating.