To tell the truth, at home we don’t usually call cannellini hummus by this name.
We simply call it paté. And, to be more precise, we don’t even call it “cannellini”, but “bean”. Yes, my children generalize; for them beans are beans, and it doesn’t matter what type or color they are.
It’s true, that’s just how it is: calling it hummus doesn’t come naturally to us.
Maybe it’s because the word hummus has such an exotic air that it intimidates us a bit, or maybe because we haven’t yet had the good fortune to taste the real, original hummus…
Naturally, and as you surely know, classic hummus is made with chickpeas. I love it, but not everyone here is crazy about chickpeas, which is why I usually prefer to make this version with cannellini beans.
I know there are many variations of this sauce; I’ve been making it for years but no longer remember where I got the inspiration the first time I tried it. Certainly, at the beginning, I made it without tahini, and I definitely modified it several times by adding or removing ingredients. But since I learned the recipe for tahini, I realized my cannellini hummus has an extra edge, and since then I haven’t changed it.
Are you ready? Here is the recipe! 🙂
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economic
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients
- 7 oz cannellini beans (cooked)
- 3 teaspoons tahini
- 1 clove garlic (small)
- chili pepper (or pepper)
- Half lemon (juice and grated zest)
Tools
- Immersion Blender
Steps
If you want to use dry cannellini beans and cook them yourself, refer to my recipe for plain beans where I explained how to proceed.
If you’re in a hurry and want to use canned cannellini beans, be sure to rinse the beans thoroughly with cold water after draining them.
Then proceed as follows:
Place the beans in the cup of a medium-sized food processor, or in a narrow, tall container if you want to use an immersion blender.
Add the lemon juice, grated zest, garlic, and tahini.
Blend until creamy.
If necessary, soften with a little oil or water or with some extra tahini if you like.
Serve with a sprinkle of chili pepper, or parsley if you prefer a non-spicy cannellini hummus.
It is excellent spread on bread, fresh or toasted, on crostini, rice cakes, breadsticks, crackers, or even eaten by the spoonful. 😋
Salt-Free Tips
As for salt, there’s no need to add any in this recipe, especially if you use canned beans.
Remember that if you’re trying to cut down on salt, it might be helpful to read my article Cooking without salt, my journey, and if you need advice on reducing salt, write to me! I’m at your disposal. 😉
If you’re interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Reduce salt gradually, the palate needs to slowly get used to the reduction without noticing it.
▫ Use spices. Chili pepper, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in water, prefer methods that preserve flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave).
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Occasionally break the rules. It’s good for morale and helps you persevere.
If you don’t want, or can’t, give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits. 🙂
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