White Bean Crostini is one of my favorite easy and healthy appetizers!
Every year my husband and I host a party dubbed “Christmas Jam.” No, this is not a jam making party, its a music party. This year it also earned the title “Love and Show Love” because its all about getting together and having a good time making music whether you’re good at it or not. No one is going to judge you because we’re all friends here.
What I look forward to most with a gathering of friends is the opportunity to cook for the ones I love. I decided a feast of appetizers would be the best way to go since everyone wants to snack while they’re drinking (umm, there’s drinking) and I didn’t want to have to be responsible for a meal plus snacks.
Besides, my husband and I are trying to learn portion control, which would make a meal plus snacking difficult. Actually, my husband is trying to learn portion control, and me watching him control his portions makes me spontaneously need two scoops of frozen custard ASAP.
But that is neither here nor there. There ended up being a ton of food which was great because if all the food gets eaten I feel like there wasn’t enough.
This appetizer is both healthy and filling. We actually ate it for dinner one night along with a mountain of vegetables because, believe it or not, I had eaten too many cookies that day. Its clean and delightful and perfect for a party.
Depending on how thick you make your bread slices and how generous you are with the bean mixture, you may not need the whole loaf of bread. All the better, because then you have leftovers for eating with heaping mounds of butter, which might be the best snack ever.
White Bean Crostini
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Wheat Baguette
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil,, plus more for drizzling
- 1 Clove garlic,, cut in half
- 1 Shallot,, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary,, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley,, chopped
- 15 ounces canned great northern beans
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler on your oven and place an oven rack on the highest position.
- Cut slightly diagonal slices of the baguette about 1/2″ – 3/4″ thick. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle both sides with olive oil. Broil, watching closely, until just toasted. Flip and toast the other side. Remove the bread from the oven and rub with the cut side of the garlic. Set aside.
- In a small skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add herbs and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place spoonfuls of the bean mixture onto each toast slice and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Elizabeth says
This looks so simple and delicious!