White Bean and Sage Crostini

White Bean and Sage Crostini ~an appetizer with garlicky goodness in every bite!

I made these White Bean and Sage Crostini as an appetizer for one of our holiday parties many years go and they were among the top appetizers to leave the platter very quickly. If you love beans and you love garlic this appetizer is one of the simplest you can make.
Not sure why I have waited so long to make these crostini. They're delicious! When I took a bite of one I knew I had to revamp the post and take photographs, as I did not get photos of this wonderful appetizer when I first posted about it in 2012.

If you plant sage in your garden along with tomatoes, the cost goes down from the approximate cost listed. This year we did not plant herbs. I get the small containers of fresh herbs from the produce section of my grocery store. Depending on what I get for fresh herbs I plan another dish to make using the same herb. In this instance I can use the sage for this and then use it in a chicken recipe during the week.

• 1 or 2  small French baguette breads
• 1 15 1/2 oz. can of small white or cannellini beans - rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup sweet onion or shallot - small dice
• 3 garlic cloves (good sized) - peeled, smashed and chopped
• 4 small or 2 large sage leaves - finely minced
• 1 or 2 ripe tomatoes - seeded and diced small
• 3 tbsp. olive oil and extra for drizzling
• granulated garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2-3 tbsp. water

1. In a saucepan add the 3 tbsp. olive oil and bring up to heat over medium heat.
2. Add in the onions and cook for 3 minutes until the onions soften and give off their liquid.
3. Next, add in the garlic, stir and turn the heat down to medium low.
4. Add in the sage and stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes more and add in the cannellini beans and 2 tbsp. of water. Stir.
5. If it does not look like there is enough liquid add one more tablespoon of water. (You don't want the mixture runny but you do want the beans to cook well.)
6. Cook over low heat for about 10-15 minutes. When the mixture is cooked, use a potato masher to mash up the beans, leaving some whole.
7. While the beans are cooking, slice your bread on a diagonal.
8. Drizzle the bread with a touch of olive oil and sprinkle with some granulated garlic or rub a garlic clove over the top and place in a preheated 375° oven just until the bread crisps up and becomes a light golden brown.
9. Remove the bread from the oven and place some of the bean mixture on top of each slice.
10. At the end add a little bit of the chopped tomato.
11. You can serve these at room temperature, or, pop them in a 350° oven for 8 minutes to get warm.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 18-20 slices or more depending on how you slice your bread.
Cost: approximately $9.62

Kitchen Hack: I've been seeing these (hacks that is), all over Pinterest and on some food blogs. One of the tools I used that seemed to work better than a spoon for removing the tomato seeds was my tiny cheese spreader. You know those fancy small spreaders that you get at Christmas and come four to a box? Yes, those. It worked beautifully getting in the tomato sections to remove the seeds while leaving the meat of the tomato in tact.

Yesterday was the fourth and we enjoyed the beautiful weather and these appetizers on what I like to call the "lido deck", which is our front porch. One of our friends who visited really enjoyed his beverage and these delicious White Bean and Sage Crostini. I wasn't sure if our friend was just being polite when he said how good they were until he reached for another, then another...I guess he meant it. They are good folks and so easy to make too.