White Bean Bruschetta with Garlicky Greens

These super versatile and yummy White Bean Bruschetta with Garlicky Greens are the perfect Italian-inspired appetizer for your get-togethers. And they come together in just 30 minutes!

I originally shared this recipe on June 10, 2012. I have updated the images and some of the text today.

Why We Love This Recipe For White Bean Bruschetta

This is a classic Italian grilled bread antipasto with white bean and leek puree that can be easily be adapted to whatever you have on hand. For example, I had some pepperoni in my fridge and decided to chop that up and add it to the mix and it was such a delicious addition.

All year long I love hosting and attending potlucks, picnics, tailgate parties, holiday parties and casual entertaining events. So it is important to have a few simple noshes in your recipe repertoire. This Italian white bean appetizer is one I go to again and again because it is so tasty, unique, and healthy. Plus everyone always raves about them.

Other bite-sized recipes that are high in my appetizer-favorites list are these Beets and Caramelized Onion Bruschetta with Goat Cheese Crumbles and Roasted Grape Crostini with Goat Cheese and Walnuts. If you try all three of these, you’ll be the appetizer queen in no time.

To make these appetizers, first I chopped up some leeks which I needed to use up. If you haven’t used leeks before, you can always check out this post here to see the step by step photos of how to clean a leek. Normally I would have used slowly cooked onions as the base of the puree, but like I said this recipe is versatile.

This white bean puree could not be any simpler to make. It’s really just sautéed leeks (or onions) and garlic, puréed with some white beans in a food processor. You will want to eat this with a spoon (don’t ask me how I know).

Folks, I will tell you one of the best things about this recipe is how everything comes together so well. The creamy, almost buttery, white bean and leek purée spread on top of the crispy grilled bread is amazing. The char taste is such a great contrast with the sweetness of the bean puree.

But then you top it with those bright garlicky greens and that salty, smoky pepperoni and WOW you really have something so special!

Key Ingredients For This Bean Bruschetta Recipe

Baguette

Everyone knows that baguette is the way to go when making any type of crostini or appetizer that involves bread. It’s so nice and crunchy and has that slightly sour taste. I’d recommend stopping by a local bakery of course, but any baguette will do. You could also use sour dough or any fluffy Italian loaf.

Cannellini beans

If you’ve never make a spread out of cannellini beans you’re in for a real treat. Cannellini beans are really just white kidney beans, and I especially love the ones from Eden brand (but use whichever ones you’d like). Make sure to drain and rinse them well to remove excess sodium and starch. If needed, Great Northern beans would be the best substitute for cannellini beans.

Garlic

I used chopped garlic to get the perfect amount of garlic flavor into this dish. If you’re sensitive to garlic, use less. To easily measure out garlic, know that 1 large garlic clove is about the same as 1 teaspoon chopped garlic.

Cooking greens

I happened to have spinach on hand, so that’s what I used for the garlicky greens. Though beet greens and chard would be great too. If you use chard, finely chop the stems and add them into the Dutch oven with the garlic.

Smoked pepperoni

I used smoked pepperoni for an added boost of saltiness. Feel free to leave this out if you don’t have any or want to make this vegetarian as it was mainly a fun and experimental addition. With that being said, I do still highly recommend it. You could always add prosciutto or spec if you have that instead.

Additional Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 ½ cups chopped leeks, tender part only, cleaned and drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic, divided
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided

Step by Step Instructions to Make This Recipe

Step 1: Make bean spread

Place 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet. Add the leeks, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 ¼ tsp salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, then place over medium heat and cook, stirring often until the leeks are softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans and cook, stirring often until warmed through, about 3 minutes more. Transfer everything to a food processor and purée until smooth.

Step 2: Cook greens

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped greens’ stems, the remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring often until the garlic is fragrant and the stems are softened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add chopped green leaves and stir until combined with the garlic mixture. Cover, increase heat to high and cook until the greens are wilted and tender, about 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.

Step 3: Toast bread & assemble

Just before serving, preheat the grill to medium heat (for oven method see FAQ below). Meanwhile, lightly brush the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over the baguette slices and grill over medium heat until lightly toasted. Top the grilled bread with the purée, greens and pepperoni.

FAQs and Expert Tips