One of the easiest contributions to a dinner party is appetizers, in my opinion. Whenever I’m attending a party, I will opt to bring an appetizer if given the choice. I have a file full of favorites that rotate through the events of the season. A few you will find on this blog Garlic Spinach Ring, Stuffed Sweet Baby Peppers, Zucchini Nachos, Caramelized Bacon Bites, Pistachio, Parmesan & Fig Pinwheels, and Apricot Ricotta Appetizers.
This recipe came about as a result of my making sun-dried tomatoes for the new cookbook. I had just made a batch of sun-dried tomatoes (or oven-dried in this case because the heat of summer was gone) and wanted to try the tomatoes in a recipe. I hadn’t had lunch yet and was thinking a cannellini bean salad sounded good when the thought struck me to pair the two together and make an appetizer out of it.
You will notice that the sun-dried tomatoes are yellow, reddish, and orange instead of the traditional deep red color. Whether making your own recipe of sun-dried tomatoes or buying them in the store Campari tomatoes are the variety most often used. However, my garden produced an over-abundance of grape tomatoes this year, both pear and chocolate variety so that is what I used when making my sun-dried tomatoes. The flavor is great, just a little different look from what most people know as traditional sun-dried tomatoes.
Ingredients ready to be assembled.
This combination of beans, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, and seasonings are good to eat as is or can be used as a side dish, incorporated into a salad, or used as an appetizer. The marinade alone is great too for a stand-alone salad dressing or marinade for other foods.
Toast the bread by brushing with olive oil and heating in a frypan.
Assembled and ready to eat!
Delish! Bet you can’t eat just one.
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 15 ounce cans cannelllini beans (or white beans if you prefer), drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon juiced)
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons roasted red pepper, chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, chopped*
- OLIVE OIL TOASTS
- Italian bread or your favorite
- Good quality extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Whisk together the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, herbs, honey, garlic, oregano salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
- Put the drained and rinsed beans in a large bowl and pour contents of the small bowl over the beans.
- Stir in the feta cheese, red peppers, and tomatoes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (if you can stand to wait that long). Marinating for a bit will help bring out the flavors, but you can eat it right away.
- To make the olive oil toasts, drizzle your favorite bread with olive oil. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the bread to the skillet. Toast until each side is golden brown and crunchy.
- Serve the beans on top of the toasts.
Notes
* I used almost 2 tablespoons tomatoes because I wanted a bigger flavor with them, but 1 tablespoon will result in a good flavor too. Marinate beans can be used in many recipes. Be creative!
Nutrition
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