Caramelized Black Bean ‘Butter’
This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I’ve been trying to incorporate beans into our diet lately. Beans are versatile, cheap, and good for you! They are great protein-packed snack for anyone who wants a quick, healthy choice to fuel their bodies. Beans will keep insulin levels in your body low, causing you to
feel full for hours and preventing you from overeating later in the day. – MY kind of snack I say!
This versatile recipe works as either a dip or a spread and has a sweet and toasty flavor thanks to the caramelized onions. I served it with toasted garlic pita but would be just as delicious with baked tortilla chips, cut-up vegetables, or even as a spread on a veggie wrap.
This would make a great dish for Cinco de Mayo celebrations!
Table of Contents
Caramelized Black Bean ‘Butter’
Summary: this recipe can easily be doubled or more.
Ingredients
Caramelized Black Bean ‘Butter’
- 1 (15 oz) can Bush’s Black Beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups chopped onions (I used frozen)
- 1/2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Toasted Garlic and Parmesan Pita
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced (I use the jarred minced garlic)
- 6 pita breads, about 5-inch diameter
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
Caramelized Black Bean ‘Butter’
- Chop fresh parsley and set aside.
- Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and sauté for 10-12 mins or until golden brown.
- Place onion, beans, vinegar, salt, and paprika in a food processor; process until smooth.
- Place bean mixture in a bowl. Sprinkle with parsley.
Toasted Garlic and Parmesan Pita
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Place the oil and garlic in a small bowl. Microwave on high until garlic is softened, about 30-40 seconds.
- Place pita breads on baking sheets. Using a brush, spread garlic oil on top of each pita.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, parsley and pepper.
- Bake until lightly browned, 10-15 minutes.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut into wedges and serve hot or room temperature.
In addition to their high fiber and protein content, studies show that beans, particularly black ones, are a rich source of antioxidants ( important for fighting aging) and may provide health benefits similar to some common fruits, including grapes, apples and cranberries.
Tidymom is a participant in the amazon services llc associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Please respect my work, recipes and photographs. If you do use a recipe in your own writing, please give proper credit and link back to the original post.
That looks so good! I am a HUGE fan of Penzeys spices too 🙂
and my favorite bean recipe….black bean tortilla pie:
http://cleanmama.blogspot.com/2010/09/30-minute-dinner-black-bean-tortilla.html
Looks amazing 🙂 I looooove me some black beans!! (Have you tried black bean soup at Panera? So good and VERY low calorie)
I had it last night Kristan! OMG thank you it was SOOO good!…..now to find the recipe!
I’m a giant fan of black beans. This looks so tasty. Thanks for your recipe!
Yum this sounds really good. I love black beans. Just made black bean burritos with low fat cheese in them! Pita chips rock!
I made this and loved it! Love the pitas!
What a great healthy dip, and I love the garlic parmesan pita bread you’re serving it with too.
I like recipes the kids will love. I have one that would eat refried beans or pork and beans of all things for every meal if I’d let him…this is perfect. For all those sporting events my hubby watches too. We eat a lot of refried beans and since I’m always behind I have actually been refrying different varieties out of the can. Black beans are good but great northern are amazing!!!
We love beans….maybe it’s a Texas thing? But, we always have refried pinto beans, refried black beans, garbanzos, cannellinis….it is the ONE food I am always stocked up on. Well, besides sugar. 😉
Cheryl, this sounds divine. I love beans in every way, shape, or form, but my very favorite is a dish from home, Borracho beans! Called such because Borracho means “drunk” in Spanish. The beans are cooked in water, beer, bacon, cilantro, garlic and onion. The resulting beans (and broth) can be eaten as a soup or a side dish. They are SO good! http://www.bluebonnetsandbrownies.com/2009/10/28/arroz-con-frijoles-borracho/
Love beans and this looks like a delicious way to use them!
Great looking bean dip. Love the pita recipe too.
Thank you for these recipes! I am also trying to incorporate black beans into our diet. I have a black bean/mango/roasted corn salsa that I LOVE.
~cheryl
This recipe for Black Bean and Sweet Potato soup from Kalyn’s Kitchen is amazing. http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2010/12/recipe-for-vegetarian-black-bean-and.html?m=1
Delicious! I love how you toasted the pitas.
LOVE the idea of caramelized onions with the black beans to make a dip! I could live on beans. Can’t wait to give this a try!
I love, love, love black beans! Thanks for sharing, and I’ll have to make this one ASAP. 🙂
I’ve been trying to get more beans into my diet too, and this dip sounds perfect! Thanks for the recipe!!
This looks so delicious! I would love to try it!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia 😉
Hey – this is gluten free! We are always on the look out for such recipes. Would this dip work for tortilla chips or is it too thick? (We can’t do the pita bread of course.)
Looks yummy!
This bean recipe was a BIG hit with my husand tonight! I made “crackers” from baked flour tortillas for dipping. Thanks so much for a great (and easy) recipe.
Great idea, Cheryl. It’s kind of like a black bean hummus…sounds so tasty.
A 2-for-1 post! I would be loving both of these! YUM!
BOOKMARKED! You had me carmelized and then on me my knees for the rest. I love this recipe!
I LOVE black beans! This sounds absolutely delish…especially with that garlic pita!
Oh..I love both..the bean butter and the Pita! Looks like I have got a winning dinner combo 🙂
This sounds absolutely amazing! I was just talking about how I need to make more bean dips to have around for snacks… I was thinking of some hummus, but I think I’ll make this instead. 🙂
Thanks for submitting it for the Kitchen Bootcamp challenge!
I have digestive issues that mean I can’t mix my carbs and meat proteins, so I’ve been eating a lot of beans in place of meat. This sounds yummy and I’ll try soon. My favorite black bean recipe is a sweet and spicy dish–it’s soooo good!
I made this and wrote about it on my blog
This was a huge hit with my daughter. She “hates” black beans so I told her it was made from chocolate. (hehe!) This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you for posting it.