074 / 75 · Small Meals and Simple Snacks
White Bean Red Pepper Dip with Pita
2 substantial dip-and-pita servings, each half the complete dip and 1 small pita · Active 25 min · Total 1 hr 15 min
Print recipe · PDFRoasted red pepper gives this white-bean dip its color and sweetness, while a little tahini makes the texture rounded without cottage cheese or cream. The pepper starts fresh and is weighed after its seeds and stem are removed. Roasting it in strips softens the skin enough to blend with the flesh, so there is no need to calculate an unknown amount of jar liquid or discard a large part of the measured ingredient.
Roast until soft, without burning the skin
A dip needs tender pepper, not a handful of nearly raw cubes. Arrange strips in one layer with the measured oil and roast until a fork enters easily. A few brown edges are fine; blackened bitter skin is not the goal because the skin remains in this recipe. Scrape the softened pepper and its tray juices into a bowl to cool. Do not seal piping-hot ingredients in a blender jar. Let them stop steaming strongly and follow the appliance’s instructions for warm food.
Let beans and tahini do the thickening
Drain fully cooked white beans well before weighing them. Their starch and the small amount of tahini give the dip substance. Blend the lemon, garlic, cumin and beans first, then add the softened peppers. Pause to scrape the bowl instead of flooding it with water to help the blades move. A food processor or small blender with a scrape-and-pulse action is useful; a large jug may struggle with a thick small batch. The result can be slightly textured rather than perfectly silky.
A new dip does not give old beans a new date
If the beans were cooked earlier, keep track of that original date and use the dip within the time those beans have left. Freshly cooked beans that have been safely cooled are the simplest choice for planned storage. The serving includes a whole small pita cut into wedges, not an unlimited basket of bread. Divide the entire dip evenly between two plates. Jarred roasted peppers can be used as a variation, but their drained weight and oil or brine composition require a different estimate.
Ingredients
- About 2 red bell peppers, stems and seeds removed, cut in wide strips (250 g prepared, skin retained)
- About 1 3/4 cups fully cooked unsalted white beans, well drained (300 g)
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon tahini made from roasted sesame (20 g)
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice (20 ml/about 20 g)
- 1 small garlic clove, peeled (3 g)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (5 ml/about 4.5 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (1 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g)
- 2 small whole-wheat pita breads (120 g total)
Set out
Baking sheet lined with baking parchment, Knife and board, Mixing bowl, Food processor or suitable small blender, Sieve, Spoon or spatula, Kitchen scale, Oven mitts
Allergens
Sesame, Wheat. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Heat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Wash peppers, remove stems and seeds, cut into wide strips and weigh 250 g prepared pepper. Toss with all the oil on the lined baking sheet and spread in one layer.
- Roast for 25–30 minutes, turning once, until thoroughly tender with a few browned edges but no deeply blackened skin. Transfer pepper and tray juices to a bowl and allow to stop steaming strongly, about 15 minutes.
- Drain and weigh fully cooked beans. Put beans, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and salt in the processor and pulse, scraping down as necessary. Add the softened pepper and its juices and blend to a thick, mostly smooth dip. Do not add unmeasured oil or water; use brief pulses and scrape the bowl. Follow the appliance instructions for warm ingredients.
- Divide all the dip equally between 2 plates. Cut each small pita into wedges and give one whole pita to each serving. Eat promptly or cool the dip promptly in a shallow container as directed.
A useful kitchen skill
Roast a measured fresh vegetable until blendably soft and use drained beans for thickness instead of diluting a small dip batch.
A useful detail
The 75-minute total includes pepper preparation, full roasting, a 15-minute steam-release stage and blending. Nutrition uses the complete raw prepared pepper weight with its skin, all roasting oil and the two measured pitas. Beans are already cooked, not dry.
Another way
- Use 200 g commercially roasted red peppers drained thoroughly in place of the fresh pepper and roasting stage; check the label, omit the roasting oil and recalculate for that actual product.
- Use 300 g freshly cooked unsalted chickpeas instead of white beans, blending patiently and updating the estimate.
Keep it well
Refrigerate promptly in a shallow container at 40°F/4°C or below within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Use within 2 days or the cooked beans’ earlier remaining safe storage time. Keep pita separate. Freeze promptly chilled dip at 0°F/−18°C for up to 1 month for quality only while its ingredients are still safely within their storage window; thaw in the refrigerator, stir and use within 24 hours. Keep cold during transport.