Who says Christmas party food can’t be healthy?

This quick and easy butterbean dip is a great base recipe, and you probably already have all the ingredients in your kitchen. It’s easy to whip up in advance, and is the perfect healthy contribution to any Christmas party cocktail spread.

It’s great as is, but we’ve put together a few festive twists to make it an extra special addition to your party menu.

 

Butterbean Dip Base Recipe

Ingredients

400g can butter beans, drained and rinsed

1 crushed garlic clove

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

Juice ½ large lemon

Method

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and, using a stick blender, whizz until smooth. (Or blend in a food processor or crush in a large pestle and mortar.) Taste and season, then transfer to a serving plate or bowl, drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil. Serve with toasted pittas, crudités or crispbreads.

 

3 Twists to Try

Spiced Butterbean and Beetroot Dip

Wrap 300g beetroot in foil and roast at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for 40 mins or until the beetroot is tender. Leave to cool, then peel and chop into 1 cm pieces (make sure you use gloves so that you don’t stain your hands!). You could also skip this step and use pre prepared cooked beetroot. Add 2 teaspoons of toasted cumin and the beetroot to the base recipe ingredients and blend for a vibrant festive favourite.

 

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Butterbean Dip

Put 250g of squash (peeled and chopped) on a baking sheet and toss with 2 teaspoons of cumin, 1 teaspoon of ground coriander, ½ teaspoon of paprika and 1 tbsp oil. Roast at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for 20 mins or until the squash is tender. Leave to cool. Put the squash in a food processor with the rest of the base ingredients, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and serve.

 

Butterbean, Chestnut and Truffle Dip

For an indulgent twist, try drizzling a little truffle oil over the butterbean dip to taste. Crumble over cooked chestnuts for added texture and serve.

Friends, family, food and merriment are the best ingredients for a wonderful festive season. However, planning for Christmas and New Year can be hard work. So why not ease the load and invest in yourself in the New Year. We can plan, prepare and deliver perfectly balanced, nutritious meals and snacks to your door, so you can begin 2023 as you mean to go on.