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.

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.

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

There’s one thing about Giada’s dip that while not unhealthy per se, annoys the macro-counting me these days: the fat content. 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 my new favorite snack, Muuna cottage cheese popped into my head.

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!).

You know what this means, right?

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

more roasted garlic recipes for the lovers –> roasted eggplant fennel pizza and roasted garlic Greek yogurt smashed potatoes

To learn more about Muuna’s delicious strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, peach, mango and classic plain offerings visit Muuna.com. You can also connect with #Muuna on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Yield: 6 servings

Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip

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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.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 ounces) white beans (cannellini, small white beans, etc.) drained and rinsed
• 2 heads garlic
• 1 container (5.3 ounces) Muuna 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

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. 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.
3. Meanwhile, place the beans, cottage cheese, apple cider vinegar and olive oil in a food processor.
4. Once garlic is roasted, squeeze the cloves out from the wrapping into the food processor.
5. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve with toasted pitas and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and red pepper flakes.