Ingredients
Beans
- 1 (15 oz / 425 g) can garbanzo beans, drained
Roasted Garlic & Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
- 15–18 cloves roasted garlic
- 6 tablespoons (⅜ cup) garlic-infused oil
- ⅓–½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional for serving
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to a blender or food processor.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Toss about ⅓ cup of the dressing with the drained garbanzo beans until evenly coated.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Overnight is even better.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.
Why You’ll Love It
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the ones you’ll make again and again.
Creamy roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar transform an ordinary can of garbanzo beans into something you’ll find yourself reaching for throughout the week.
The dressing comes together in minutes, then does the rest of the work while the beans marinate. Make it once, then use the extra throughout the week as a flavorful base for vegetables, grain bowls, wraps, sandwiches, and more.
Notes
Make Once, Use Often
Most full-size blenders need a larger volume to blend well. The extra dressing won’t go to waste—it becomes a multi-purpose flavor base for meals throughout the week.
Try it as:
- A marinade for beans
- A dressing for grain bowls
- A sauce for roasted vegetables
- A spread for sandwiches and wraps
- A drizzle for cooked vegetables
- A flavorful addition to pasta salad
If you’d like to use all of the dressing right away, this recipe makes enough to marinate about 3 cans of garbanzo beans.
No Blender?
For a single can of beans, mash 5–6 cloves of roasted garlic into a smooth paste. Finely mince 1–2 tablespoons of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes and stir together with:
- 2 tablespoons garlic-infused oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Toss with the drained garbanzo beans and marinate as directed above.
To Rinse or Not to Rinse?
Draining the beans is all that’s required. Rinsing is optional.
Leaving a little of the canning liquid helps the dressing cling to the beans. Rinsing produces a cleaner flavor. Both work well, so choose whichever you prefer.
Seasoning
Start with a small amount of salt and taste as you go.
The saltiness of sun-dried tomatoes varies by brand, so it’s much easier to add more seasoning than to fix an overly salty dressing.
If you prefer, season with soy sauce instead of salt.
Storage
Store the marinated beans and the extra dressing in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The flavor continues to develop over the first day, making this an excellent make-ahead recipe.