Call it a dip or a spread, this roasted tomato and white bean dip recipe is packed with flavour. Roasting tomatoes really concentrates their taste. Add a few herbs and spices then combine them with beans to add body and a lovely, velvety creaminess that will have your taste buds dancing.
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This roasted tomato dip might well be the last of my late summer recipes for this year. We don’t have much, other than a few tomatoes and courgettes, left in the garden to use now. But it’s a really delicious recipe, so I’m going out with a flourish.
Dive Right In
- Why Make Roasted Tomato Dip?
- Roasted Tomato Dip?
- Ingredients
- How To Make Roasted Tomato And White Bean Dip
- Roasted Tomato And White Bean Dip FAQs
- Other Roasted Tomato Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- The Recipe
Why Make Roasted Tomato Dip
- Budget-Friendly – White beans and tomatoes are relatively cheap ingredients, especially if you grow your own. The result is a cost-effective, yet delicious and nutritious dip for feeding a crowd or the family.
- Delicious – This dip combines the deep, sweet and umami notes of roasted tomatoes with the creamy and slightly nutty taste of white beans. The result is a delightful and well-balanced flavour profile.
- Easy To Prepare – Despite having to roast the tomatoes, this dip is relatively easy to make. It only requires a few simple ingredients and your blender or food processor does most of the work. It’s a good option for both experienced and novice cooks.
- Healthy – White beans are a good source of both protein and fibre, which makes it a nutritious snack, side or sandwich filling. The tomatoes, herbs and spices add antioxidants and vitamins to the mix.
- Make-Ahead – Once you’ve made this dip, you can store it in the fridge where it will keep well for three to four days. This means you can get ahead with meal prep or when entertaining. Like many bean dips, the flavours are generally better the next day.
- Vegetarian and Vegan Friendly – This dip is entirely plant-based, which makes it suitable for vegans as well as vegetarians. It’s also a good option for many with dietary restrictions.
- Versatile – You can use this roasted tomato dip in various ways. Serve it with crisps, crackers or crudités, spread it in sandwiches or wraps, top your baked potatoes with it or use it as a bed for roasted summer vegetables. It also works brilliantly with salads, as a side dish or as part of a meze spread. Perfect for potlucks and family gatherings. Go to it people!
Roasted Tomato Dip
Homemade dips and spreads are pure magic. They cost a fraction of the ones in the shops, taste better, are generally healthier and so easy to make. You may have noticed, I’m a big fan.
This roasted tomato dip with white beans makes a delicious side whilst it’s still warm. It’s especially good served as a tasty bed for roasted summer vegetables.
It’s the sort of dip that everyone loves, but it’s also delicious on toast. Just sprinkle with chopped fresh basil or chives or top with fried courgettes and / or dukkah.
You can adjust the seasoning and spices to suit your own taste preferences. Add more garlic or chilli flakes for extra va va voom, incorporate fresh herbs for a burst of freshness or add some lemon zest to boost the Mediterranean vibe.
Ingredients
This roasted tomato dip requires only a few simple ingredients and you’re likely to have all of them in your kitchen. Extra virgin olive oil goes without saying.
Tomatoes
This is a great recipe for using up tomatoes that aren’t as flavoursome as you’d hoped for. If you grow your own, they often taste a bit insipid right at the end of the season. In my experience, supermarket tomatoes are nearly always disappointing.
Roasting them, however, really concentrates the flavour and works a treat to pep them up and get your taste buds firing.
I used fourteen medium-sized homegrown tomatoes.
White Beans
You can use any white beans in this recipe. They add body, nutrition and creaminess. Every bean will taste slightly different, but there isn’t a great deal in it.
Having said that, I like to use butter beans or gigantes as they are bigger and creamier. The skin to flesh ratio is lower, so they blend better.
Herbs And Spices
The oven is too hot for fresh herbs, so head for the dried ones for this recipe. Mixed herbs pair particularly well with roasted tomatoes. I use herbes de Provence, but Italian herbs are a good option too.
Cumin is another flavour that goes well with tomatoes and particularly beans. So I sprinkle a few cumin seeds over the tomatoes before roasting along with the salt. The last addition is chilli flakes. If you don’t like the heat, use a mild variety like pul biber (also known as Turkish red pepper flakes or Aleppo chilli flakes), but don’t leave them out.
Garlic is a key component, of course. But it’s blended into the dip in its raw state, just as you would with hummus. Raw garlic is a powerhouse of beneficial compounds, so this is an excellent way to get it into your diet.
Lemon
Lemon juice lifts the dip and gives a little zing without it tasting sour. It’s a much used flavour enhancing trick in Mediterranean cuisine.
How To Make Roasted Tomato And White Bean Dip
You will need a blender or food processor to make this dip as well as an oven for roasting the tomatoes. Full instructions, ingredients and quantities are given in the recipe card near the end of this post.
Step 1. Roast Tomatoes
Before you do anything, get your oven on so that it has time to heat up. You need a fairly hot oven for roasting.
Wash and dry your tomatoes, then cut them in half. Place them in a roasting tin, there’s no need to grease it as you’ll be adding oil soon enough. They need to be in a single layer and cut side facing upwards.
Sprinkle the tomatoes with the salt, herbs and spices. Then drizzle the olive oil over everything.
Place near the top of the oven and roast until the tomatoes are about a third of their original size and are just starting to caramelise around the edges. There should still be plenty of juice in the pan.
Top Tip
If you have an air fryer that’s big enough, you can use that to roast tomatoes instead of an oven.
Step 2. Blend
Place the beans, garlic and lemon juice in a blender or food processor. Scrape the tomatoes on top including all of the oily juices. I use my power blender*, but a food processor will work too.
Whizz together on a medium speed until everything is well blended and just about smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add a little warm water and blend again.
Taste test and add more seasoning, herbs, spices or lemon juice if you think it needs it.
Top Tip
To rinse out your blender, add a mugful of warm water and a teaspoon of miso paste. Give a quick whizz and you’ll have an instant cup of healthy and tasty soup without wasting any of your dip. It makes clean up easier too.
Step 3 Serve
Scrape the mixture into a serving bowl if eating straight away. Otherwise, use a sealed container and pop it in the fridge.
For the best taste experience, serve warm or at room temperature. Dips straight from the fridge can taste a bit bland.
Top Tip
Reserve three to five of the smaller roasted tomato halves to decorate the top of the dip. As a final flourish, drizzle a little olive oil over the top before serving.
Roasted Tomato And White Bean Dip: FAQs
Most of what you need to know to make this roasted tomato and white bean dip is in the body of this post or in the recipe card. However, there are a few more questions that some people find useful, so here they are.
Bread is always a good start for this type of dip. Try warmed or toasted pitta bread cut into slices. Chunks of crusty bread work well too. The usual suspects of tortilla chips, crackers and raw vegetable sticks are all excellent.
Tinned tomatoes will certainly save you time. However, they won’t have the depth of flavour that roasted tomatoes bring. If you do use them, start with just half of a 400g (14oz) tin and only add more if needed.
Sun-dried tomatoes are full of flavour and will work instead of roasted tomatoes. If they’re jarred ones in oil they’ll probably already be infused with herbs and spices. So no need to add extra oil and probably not the herbs and spices. You may need to add some water if the mixture is too stiff though. Taste test as you go along and add as necessary.
These sort of dips don’t tend to freeze very well. I’d recommend making it fresh each time. It will store well in the fridge for three to four days, however, so you don’t need to eat it all at once.
Other Roasted Tomato Recipes You Might Like
- Barley bowl with spiced aubergine & roasted tomatoes
- Barley lentil dinner with walnut gremolata & roasted tomatoes
- Mac & cheese: a healthier pumpkin version
- Roasted tomato soup with lentils & carrots
- Tomato galette with basil pesto
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this white bean and roasted tomato dip, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for roasting tomatoes?
Please rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.
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If you’d like more recipes for dips and spreads, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Roasted Tomato Dip: Made With White Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 400 g tomatoes (I used 14 medium-sized homegrown)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp herbes de Provence or other dried herbs
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp chilli flakes hot or mild
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 225 g cooked white beans equivalent to one 400g (14oz) tin (I used butter beans)
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ lemon juiced
Instructions
- Set your oven to 200℃ (180℃ fan, 400℉, Gas 6).
- Slice the tomatoes in half and place in an ovenproof dish, cut side up and in a single layer.400 g tomatoes
- Scatter the herbs, spices and salt over the top, then drizzle with the olive oil.2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp herbes de Provence, ½ tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp chilli flakes, ½ tsp sea salt
- Roast in the middle to top part of the oven for about forty minutes. The exact time will depend on the size and type of your tomatoes. They're done when reduced in size by about a third and are just starting to caramelise around the edges.
- Scrape the tomato and their juices into a blender along with the remaining ingredients. Blend until you have a smoothish dip or keep going until it's completely smooth. If it's too stiff add a little warm water.225 g cooked white beans, 1 clove garlic, ½ lemon
- Check for seasoning and add more if required.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with crudités and crackers or as part of a meze style meal. A drizzle of olive oil over the top adds an optional flourish.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
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Karlie says
This dip is so silky smooth! I love how filling it is with the white beans.
Choclette says
Good to hear you enjoyed the tomato dip Karlie. The beans almost make it a meal in itself.
Padma K says
Love tomatoes anyway. Roasting them deepened the flavor and then the creaminess from the beans! What a clever recipe. Loved it!
Choclette says
Good to hear you enjoyed my tomato dip and thanks for letting us know. As you say the richness of the tomatoes goes so well with the creamy beans.
Erin says
This roasted tomato dip recipe is so good! I love that it’s made with white beans and other wholesome ingredients. The flavors are perfectly balanced … thanks for the great recipe!
Choclette says
I’m always up for wholesome ingredients Erin. Thanks for letting us know you enjoyed the recipe.
Tavo says
The Roasted Tomato Dip was a hit at my weekend gathering! The addition of white beans was a clever touch, making it both hearty and flavorful. Your instructions were clear and easy to follow, which I really appreciated. Thanks for sharing this unique and delicious recipe!
Choclette says
Ooh, I’m quite excited to hear you made this for your weekend gathering. I feel quite honoured. Glad you enjoyed it.
Tandy I Lavender and Lime says
This sounds delicious!
Choclette says
I don’t roast tomatoes enough, but when I do I’m always astonished at how good they taste.
Mary says
The Tomato plants are in the ground and growing and now I have this lovely sounding recipe on hand for some summer scoffing. With the grilled Zucchini it makes me salivate. Must exercise patience!
Thanks Choclette :))
Choclette says
Ah but you have all that promise yet to come, where as for us everything is finishing. Hope your tomatoes grow well.