White bean spread for sandwiches: twelve minutes, two cans, no meat
Two cans of white beans, onion softened in olive oil, lemon, marjoram and chives — a filling sandwich spread full of plant protein, for the price of small change. The beans are mashed with a fork, not blended: half crushed for creaminess, half whole for bite. Vegan as written: no dairy, no eggs.
Your own work in that: 12 min.
- Onion and beans 7 min
- Mashing 5 min
Step by step
0 / 4 doneDrain and rinse the beans
Tip the beans into a sieve, rinse under running water and drain. The canning liquid is starchy and salty; rinsed beans give a cleaner-tasting spread.
Ingredients: 800 g canned white beans · 1 pcs onion · 2 cloves garlic · 4 tbsp olive oil · 1 pcs lemon, juice · 1 tsp mustard · 1 tsp dried marjoram · 1 tsp sweet paprika · 1 tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper · ½ bunch chives
Rinsed and well drainedSoften the onion and garlic
Dice the onion finely and cook in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over low heat for 6 minutes, until soft and sweet but not browned. Add the garlic and paprika for the last 30 seconds. Softened onion gives the spread depth; raw onion only bites.
TipSweet paprika stirred into hot oil for half a minute releases its colour and aroma; added cold it gives far less flavour. Don't hold it longer than that or it turns bitter.
Six minutes, soft and sweet, not brownedMash with a fork
Put the beans in a bowl, add the onion with its oil, the lemon juice, mustard, marjoram crushed between your palms, salt and pepper. Mash with a fork until about half the beans break down and the rest stay whole. Pour in the remaining oil and mix.
Ingredients: 8 pcs rye bread · ½ bunch radishes
TipA blender turns this into a smooth purée, which is hummus without the tahini. A fork leaves the texture that lets the spread sit on bread and gives something to chew.
A fork: half crushed, half wholeSeason and serve
Stir in the chives, taste and adjust: beans need more salt and acid than you would guess. Spread thickly on rye bread and top with radish slices. In a closed container it keeps 4 days in the fridge and is better on the second.
Thick on bread, radish on top
Before you start
With sun-dried tomatoes
4 sun-dried tomato halves in oil, finely chopped, plus a spoon of their oil in place of some of the olive oil. The spread turns darker and distinctly Mediterranean.
From dried beans
250 g dried beans soaked overnight and simmered 60–90 minutes until tender equals two cans. Cheaper and better, if you remember the day before.
Smoky version
A teaspoon of smoked paprika instead of sweet, and a few drops of pumpkin seed oil: it tastes like it came from a smokehouse, with no meat in it at all.
