Red Bean and Walnut Spread
Updated Feb. 7, 2023
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup dark red kidney beans, soaked overnight and rinsed well
- 3cups water
- ¼white onion, minced
- 1bay leaf
- ¾cup walnuts
- 4tablespoons (½ stick) butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2teaspoons chopped dill
- 2teaspoons chopped mint or basil
- 2teaspoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2teaspoons pomegranate molasses (you can find this at Whole Foods or similar markets)
- Bread, crackers and string cheese for serving
- Garnish for older children and adults: toasted walnuts
- pomegranate seeds
Garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
231 calories; 15 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 332 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Combine beans, water, onion and bay leaf in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer until tender, about an hour.
- Step 2
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the walnuts out on a baking tray and toast for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once, and checking frequently until toasted.
- Step 3
Drain beans well and discard bay leaf. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, puree the beans with walnuts, butter, chopped garlic, salt and pepper until smooth and creamy.
- Step 4
Mix chopped herbs together and put aside a small amount for garnish. Blend the rest into the beans and add a splash of water if the mixture is too thick.
- Step 5
Season with salt and pepper and serve on warmed bread slices or crackers. Drizzle with pomegranate molasses and sprinkle with herb mix.
- Step 6
Serve next to some string cheese. For older children and adults, top with walnuts and pomegranate seeds.
Private Notes
Comments
For what it's worth, vegan people, I've been making something like this for a good long while and never used butter (and definitely never used margarine). A little tahini is nice, though.
Served this wonderful spread with a sliced olive bastone as part of an appetizer assortment and it was the most popular piece. Folks were surprised that it was vegan and not a pork pate. Cut the recipe in half; used one 14 oz can of kidney beans, one clove of garlic as well as fresh basil and fresh parsley (no dill, no mint since I don't like those herbs). The pomegranate seeds added a lovely burst of sweetness and juice in each bit.
this recipe left out the amount of chopped garlic, it should be 1/2 tsp. But who are we kidding I'm going to use more than that.
Can this be frozen for using in 2 weeks?
Great for big kids too! No need for a food processor unless you want hummus like texture. Chop all ingredients to desired consistency and mix together in a bowl. Olive oil works just fine if you just want a spread. Use any other pink or red bean like fresh Santa Maria Pinquito's for a lovely pink color. Don't skip the pomegranate molasses (or similar) it really makes it pop!
Fresh mint, fresh dill, fresh parsley. Thanks for the heads up about the butter; used maybe 1T of olive oil instead. 3 small cloves of garlic but probably wasn’t enough. 1 can of beans rinsed and drained, so added onion powder. Was going to do a balsamic reduction instead of the pomegranate but instead just added balsamic vinegar and honey to the purée. Tastes good; hopefully even better chilled.