Bean dip is such a fun recipe to make. It's not necessarily the quickest of recipes. But it is incredibly simple to make. It's one of those dishes where you can toss everything into a pot and then let it simmer on the stove for a couple of hours. It's also so much better tasting than the stuff that you get in the can. It's great as a side dish for sporting events, nachos, or as the filling for any assortment of burritos, enchiladas, or other recipes. You can leave it vegan as a Quinoa Salad w/ Black Beans, Tomatoes, & Corn or create the full bean dip here with fresh mozzarella baked on top.
Gallery
Variations of Mozzarella Bean Dip
Who isn't a fan of dips? I tend to consider them largely a sports food. Like it's something that you make to watch the big football game or something. Although I'm not necessarily the most sports-oriented person on the planet. I am still a big fan of foods in the general meant for dipping category.
I ordinarily like to make them when I'm testing out different ingredients and flavor profiles. I'll make things from black bean and Swiss cheese dip to see if I can combine fondue and black beans to avocado dip with white beans, almost like a hummus, and spinach pesto because I'm allergic to basil and needed a good dupe. Dips are a great way mix and match different ingredients from beans and cheese to various fruits and vegetables. It's one of those things where you can easily mix and match in what you have on hand or to fit your own personal culinary tastes and preferences.
There is much debate over whether or not you should soak beans ahead of time before cooking! I ordinarily recommend it with hardier beans, like black beans and pinto beans. With softer beans, like white beans, I find that it makes less of a difference.You can soak the white beans in cold water for at least 12 hours. This will cut about an hour off of the cooking process and results in slightly softer beans. If you're making hummus or something that requires a smoother consistency, there's an argument to be made for going with the longer soak!However, I skipped it this time and just went for a quick soak. I didn't have the foresight to soak the beans ahead of time. I also knew that I was going to purée them in with walnuts, so they were going to have a little bit coarser consistency, anyway.
Add beans to a pot and fill with 6 cups of water. Bring, uncovered, to a boil.
Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the lid and remove from heat. Let sit for an hour.
Cook Beans
After the beans have soaked, drain and rinse.
Return the beans to the pot and cover with another 6 cups of water.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.
Simmer for 2-3 hours, or until tender. You may need to adjust the temperature to keep them from boiling as they cook down.They should still keep their shape and not turn to mush. But theoretically putting a fork in them would split them in half.
Quinoa
Once the black beans are almost entirely cooked, add the quinoa and additional 2 cups water.I also tend to adjust the salt, pepper, and other seasonings at this point if it's needed. Seasoning is largely to taste, so adjust based on your personal preference. When making everything from scratch, like with this recipe, I usually like to add spices throughout the cooking process to add flavor, but make sure that they're not overpowering. This recipe does call for 8 cups of water, though, so it can easily taste diluted!
Bring back to a simmer and cover. Cook for an additional 40 minutes.
After cooking quinoa, remove from heat and let sit covered for another 10 minutes. Then, fluff with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon and let cool completely.You can add the beans and quinoa to the refrigerator to speed up this process. Just make sure that it's cooled completely before continuing.
Bake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Adjust seasoning to taste.I typically end up adding more spices at the end for an additional pop of flavor. This is entirely optional. Adjust to your personal tastes!
Lightly grease a medium-sized baking dish and pour in beans.
Add slices or crumble fresh mozzarella on top.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the mozzarella is melted and begins to brown.
Either eat as is or stir in the cheese. Serve immediately with chips, bread, apples, and/or other dips of choice.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
For more tips and tricks, I have an entire article on The Fundamentals of Stovetop Black Beans. This article can be particularly helpful if you want to soak the beans overnight beforehand. I also have another article on The Fundamentals of Slow Cooker Black Beans if you'd prefer to use a crock pot, instead of the stove. This takes 8 about hours, but is hands off and doesn't require soaking the beans.
Leave a Reply