This warm fennel and White Bean Dip recipe is absolutely delicious! It’s simple yet full of flavor and comfort. Roasted fennel with garlic and white beans coated with rosemary-garlic infused oil are blended together until creamy and smooth. Then topped with Parmesan and baked until the cheese is melted and perfect. Scoop it up with homemade crostini (recipe included), carrot sticks, and cucumber spears. It’s delicious.
In this recipe, I put cannellini beans to the test. And I was rewarded with a scrumptious result. If you don’t have these beans on hand, go for your favorite beans. Any of these will work nicely: butter beans, navy beans, cannellini beans, or Great Northern beans. You can prep this bean dip in advance and then just bake it up before serving. Enjoy!
To make the White Bean Dip, you will need the following ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 350 ºF.
Place 2 quartered fennel bulbs and 6 whole garlic cloves on a roasting pan. Drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper, then toss until well combined. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, turning halfway through, until soft and golden-brown in spots and the edges are caramelized. Remove and set aside.
Once fennel and garlic are roasted, increase the oven temperature to 400 ºF.
In a saucepan over medium heat, heat 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Add in 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, chopped rosemary leaves, a pinch chili flakes, and 2 crushed garlic cloves.
Quickly stir in the beans. Add 1 teaspoon salt and stir until the beans are well coated. Remove from heat.
To a blender, add the white bean mixture and squeeze in the roasted garlic cloves from their skins. Add the roasted fennel and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Blend until smooth.
Add ⅓ cup heavy cream and blend again until well combined.
Spoon the blended bean mixture into an ovenproof dish and top with ½ cup grated Parmesan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbling at the edges and the cheese is melted and golden-brown. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Slice 1 mini baguette into ¼-inch thick rounds and arrange on a roasting pan. Lightly brush both sides of each slice with olive oil. Bake in the preheated to 400 ºF oven on the middle rack for 6 to 8 minutes.
Serve the white bean dip warm or at room temperature. Garnish with the reserved fennel fronds and serve with crostini.
This White Bean Dip is so flavorful, creamy, and delicious. Served with crostini, carrot sticks, and cucumber spears, it’s a healthy snack or appetizer. Give this recipe a try soon, and please leave a note below.
Creamy and delicious dip! I love it!
