How many hummus recipes do you know? Many? Have you ever tried borlotti bean hummus? I made it and I’m sharing it because I loved it! Since I started including beans in my diet I’ve been experimenting with many new recipes. The base here is borlotti beans, but I can already tell you that cannellini beans would work great too for today’s hummus.
If you wondered: what to eat with bean hummus? Here are my answers — actually several ideas I found. We can serve the borlotti hummus with a piadina heated in a pan until it’s crispy and perfect for dipping into the bean cream. Of course, pita bread or chapati are classics. Don’t forget focaccia or some toasted stale bread crostini with a pinch of salt and pepper. I think that answers your question: what to serve with hummus? I hope so! These ideas also work well for different kinds of aperitifs, with potato chips and olives.
The borlotti bean hummus I’m presenting today is no-cook — we’ll use canned beans to speed up preparation and create a thick borlotti cream that’s fragrant and perfect for many occasions: appetizers, aperitifs, side dishes, or as a sauce to accompany roast meat or fish.
I also made a video recipe so you can follow the steps. You’ll find it below the first photo. Please subscribe to the Le Ricette di Bea YouTube channel so you don’t miss any new video recipes. If you like it, leave a like or a comment to help me and the channel grow — thanks!
Over the years I shared other hummus recipes, like traditional chickpea hummus (Middle Eastern recipe) and roasted chickpea and carrot hummus with crostini, which went viral last year and became one of the blog’s most-read recipes! I’ll leave the links below so you can read and try them!
Before we get to today’s recipe, remember you can find me every morning in the Facebook group and fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day! A can’t-miss appointment to start the day with a sweet or savory treat!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4Servings
- Cooking methods: No-cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter and Spring, All seasons
- Energy 80.53 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 9.24 (g) of which sugars 0.10 (g)
- Proteins 3.85 (g)
- Fat 3.20 (g) of which saturated 0.45 (g)of which unsaturated 2.23 (g)
- Fibers 4.09 (g)
- Sodium 217.22 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 60 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients to make creamy, fragrant borlotti bean hummus
- 8.5 oz borlotti beans (canned)
- 4 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- to taste curry
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- to taste parsley
- drizzle extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/3 tbsp water
Using a clove of garlic is optional. I don’t like the taste, so I didn’t add it, but if you enjoy garlic you can include it in the bean hummus preparation.
I served a medium-large piadina with the borlotti bean cream. I toasted the piadina in a pan until it became very crispy over medium heat, flipping it several times. Then I cut it into triangles with scissors. If you have pita bread, toasted bread crostini, chapati, or not-too-salty nachos, those work just as well. These are some of the items we can serve with the hummus.
Tools to prepare the bean hummus
- 1 Blender or food processor
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Bowl
If you prepare the piadina as I did, you’ll also need a wide nonstick pan.
Steps to make creamy, no-cook borlotti bean hummus
I start by arranging all the ingredients needed for today’s recipe on the work surface. I set up the blender and measure everything. I take the can of beans and discard the packing liquid. I quickly rinse the beans under running water to remove the canning liquid and pour the beans into the blender jug.
I add the tablespoons of tahini, the tablespoons of lemon juice, then salt, pepper, curry, and parsley. Finally I add the required water and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. I run the blender and blend everything into a smooth cream.
I take a nonstick pan, toast the piadina until it’s nice and crispy, and use scissors to cut many small triangles perfect for dipping into the borlotti hummus. I spoon the cream into a bowl and drizzle a bit more extra virgin olive oil and some parsley on top.
If you have fresh parsley, even better. I didn’t have fresh, so I used dried parsley. It gives less aroma but still adds good flavor. I’m finally ready to enjoy the bean cream — perfect for today’s aperitif!
I can only wish you a buon appetito (enjoy your meal!) and remind you that I look forward to seeing you every day on my cooking blog with many easy, quick and delicious recipes like this one!
Storage, tips and variations for the recipe:
Storage of borlotti bean hummus: you can store the cream in a lidded container in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Since this is a no-cook preparation, try to make it only if you are sure you will consume the sauce within a short time, to avoid wasting ingredients that could spoil.
Variations and tips: you can add a clove of garlic to this preparation to give the hummus a bit more punch. You can replace the curry with turmeric or paprika if you prefer. I recommend adding small amounts of water at a time and only if necessary to make the borlotti bean sauce creamier. Don’t overdo it with salt, pepper, or other spices: the scent of the beans is delicate and you risk covering it up easily.
