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Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip

This roasted garlic white bean dip has a secret ingredient: cottage cheese! It lends a super creamy texture and healthy protein boost to each bite.

I went through a Giada phase back in the early 2000s.

I mean, didn’t we all?

She was mesmerizing with her perfect outfits, always manicured nails and delicious fresh Italian food. I could literally spend hours on Food Network watching Everyday Italian (and every other show after she went on to do).

This resulted in no less than 4 cookbooks of hers (which I still have today) gifted to me by family members who knew my obsession over the years.

*This roasted garlic white bean dip is made in partnership with Muuna cottage cheese.
This roasted garlic white bean dip has a secret ingredient: cottage cheese! It lends a super creamy texture and healthy protein boost to each bite.

There’s obviously more recipes than I could ever make in those books but one of her simplest appetizers, a white bean dip, is one I’ve made countless times both for parties and even when it’s just the two of us to snack on before dinner.

It’s simple, it’s easy and it’s different enough from all the regular party dips out there to stand out without being too weird and polarizing.

Kind of like this vegan spinach artichoke dip.

It’s also what inspired this roasted garlic white bean dip today.

Creamy Muuna cottage cheese is the perfect addition to this roasted white bean garlic dip.

There’s one thing about Giada’s dip that while not unhealthy per se, annoys the macro-counting me these days:

the fat content.

A whole head of roasted garlic is added to this creamy white bean dip along with a secret ingredient bringing a healthy protein boost to each bite!

Her recipe uses olive oil to give the dip that creamy consistency (almost like you’d do with pesto) and if we’re being honest, I don’t really enjoy using up my fats for the day on oils.

Um hello, that’s why things like nut butter, exist.

This is when the idea to use cottage cheese popped into my head.

Cottage cheese is the perfect creamy addition to this roasted garlic white bean dip for an added healthy protein boost.

One of the things I love best about Muuna is how creamy and smooth the texture is (this is not the lumpy cottage cheese from your childhood!).

It’s great for snacking straight up but in this case, it also lends itself perfectly to adding to the roasted garlic white bean dip for that creamy, silky texture you want out of a dip.

The bonus is the fat content is greatly reduced since it replaces the olive oil and you get an added protein boost (a whopping 19g of protein in just one 5.3 ounce container of their 120 calorie low-fat plain cottage cheese and only 4g of sugar!).

That’s why I use cottage cheese in these perfect protein pancakes!

You know what this means, right?

Serve this roasted garlic white bean dip with plenty of toasted pitas and vegetables for an easy and healthy crowd-pleasing appetizer.

Now you can have your dip and your nut butter with dessert.

Winning!

Oh and ps- there are 2 ENTIRE heads of roasted garlic up in there. You’re both welcome and warned. #notdatefood

Roasted garlic fan? You’ll probably be a fan of this roasted garlic whipped goat cheese recipe too.

Love this roasted garlic white bean dip recipe?

This roasted eggplant fennel pizza and roasted garlic Greek yogurt smashed potatoes are more great roasted garlic recipes to try. You’ll also probably enjoy this roasted red pepper dip that uses a secret ingredient like this dip for its creamy consistency.

Or try out this olive oil bread dip for another tasty option!

This roasted garlic white bean dip has a secret ingredient: cottage cheese! It lends a super creamy texture and healthy protein boost to each bite.

Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip

This roasted garlic white bean dip has a secret ingredient: cottage cheese! It lends a super creamy texture and healthy protein boost to each bite.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 can 15 ounces white beans (cannellini, small white beans, etc.) drained and rinsed
  • 2 heads garlic
  • 1 container 5.3 ounces plain 2% cottage cheese
  • 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more for roasting garlic
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Slice the top off each head of garlic. Drizzle each with olive oil, season with salt and wrap up in aluminum foil. Place in the oven and roast for 45 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, place the beans, cottage cheese, apple cider vinegar and olive oil in a food processor.
  • Once garlic is roasted, squeeze the cloves out from the wrapping into the food processor.
  • Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve with toasted pitas and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and red pepper flakes.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1SERVING | Calories: 41kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 109mg | Sugar: 1g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

Cuisine American
Course Appetizers
Keyword garlic bean dip, gluten-free, roasted garlic bean dip, roasted garlic dip
TRIED THIS RECIPE?COMMENT + RATE BELOW!

Gina Matsoukas is the writer, founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients as much as possible. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.

Recipe Rating




Lisa Dee

Monday 23rd of October 2023

I made this recipe this morning. I loved it! I am trying to up my protein intake. My add in was some diced jalapenos, about 1 heaping teaspoon. I had some dip on whole grain crackers. I will be making this again!

oleta cato

Monday 3rd of July 2023

Are you sure........TWO heads of garlic???? Surely you must mean "Two cloves".

Gina Matsoukas

Monday 3rd of July 2023

No, I do in fact mean two heads of garlic. When roasted, the flavor is much more mellowed out.

Leslie

Saturday 5th of September 2020

Just made this and it's very yummy! Added a bit of lemon juice to brighten it up, but followed the recipe other than that. Thanks!

Kate

Sunday 24th of May 2020

Just made this recipe with "regular" Knudsen (low fat) cottage cheese. It's very nice and super smooth. I topped it with Urfa Biber chili flakes, which are smoky and milder, but still have nice heat. I made a double batch, shared some with the neighbors and froze some for future enjoyment. I've frozen hummus before, so I figured this would do just fine. Thanks for the recipe!

Kate

Thursday 21st of May 2020

Has anyone tried this with "regular" cottage cheese? That's what I have in the kitchen right now and I have no idea where to pick up Muuna (though it does sound lovely). I'm just wondering if I should skip it, or give it a try with the regular cottage cheese.

Running to the Kitchen

Thursday 21st of May 2020

Regular cottage cheese will work just fine, enjoy!