How To Make The Best Black Bean Dip

Here it is! How to make the best black bean dip ever! I promise you, this will be one of the best dips you have ever served at a party, but can also be used in so many other ways for you and your family on a daily basis. This black bean dip is so healthy that once you make it, you will realize that it be a part of your skinny lifestyle for good.

It's time to share with you how to make the best black bean dip ever. This recipe is perfect for any time of year, but I find that it gets even more popular in the colder months, especially during football season. I have only shared this recipe with very close friends and family, but decided that everyone should be able to enjoy this amazingly delicious healthy food.

Here are the ingredients that you are going to need. 2 large sized 29oz cans of black beans (low sodium if available, I love Goya), rinsed and drained in a colander, 1 large can of Italian peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), 2-3 medium sized peeled carrots, 2 large stalks of celery, 1 large red pepper, 1 large sweet onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 cardboard 32oz container of low sodium chicken broth, 2 tablespoons of chili powder, 2 tablespoons of cumin, 2 tablespoons of dried oregano, 1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro, 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of cracked pepper. For your garnish, a chopped jalapeno (remove seeds if you would like), 1 cup of sour cream, 2 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce, 3 chopped scallions, 1 cup of freshly grated extra sharp cheddar and a big bag of thick, strong corn tortilla chips.

Set a large stockpot on your stove top, coat the bottom of the pan with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and set at medium to high heat. While your pot is heating up, chop up your peeled carrots into pieces. I tend to cut the carrots lengthwise, then in half and then into quarters which makes the chopping much safer and easier. Carrots take the longest to cook, so always start with them first. They sweeten every dish that you make, so including them is not only adding health, but flavor. Once your carrots hit the pan, add a little salt and pepper and stir them into the olive oil. Chop up your celery into small pieces also, lengthwise first and then down the length of the stalk, add them to your carrots. Continue to salt and pepper as you go along with each layer of the dish. Next add your chopped onion and red pepper, salt and pepper again, stir and let saute' until cooked down a bit. Chop up your garlic and add to the mix. If needed, add a little more extra virigin olive oil to keep everything going.

Next, add your canned tomatoes. I have found the best way to do this is to put the entire can into a medium sized bowl, use your hands to break them down and remove any center pieces that you may not want. Add the tomatoes to your mixture in the stockpot, but before you stir them in, add your chili powder, cumin and oregano, then fold it all together. While your base is simmering and the flavors are melding, start up a medium sized nonstick saucepan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Once warm, add your strained black beans from the colander and let warm through. Once the beans are warmed, add 1 cup of the low sodium chicken broth and let come up to temperature again so they start to simmer. Take a potato masher and start to break down the black beans, add more broth to keep them from getting too thick while adding flavor at the same time. There will still be some black beans left whole, which is fine because it make the dip look authentic and handmade, not store bought or over blended.

After your beans are mashed, use a plastic spatula (like you would when making a cake) and remove all of them from the pan into the tomato and vegetable mixture, blend together. At this time, you will want to stir in another cup of chicken broth, lower the heat to low and then allow all of the flavors to simmer down. As the bean dip thickens, add more chicken broth until you have used up all of the carton and stir as needed. Remember, the more this creation cooks down, the more flavorful it is (another option for vegetarians is to use vegetable stock in substitution for the chicken stock). At the very end, before serving, add in your freshly chopped cilantro and stir through (if you don't like cilantro, skip it).

You can serve the best black bean dip in individual bowls, in a large sized oven dish or nacho style, which you can see here. Whatever way you choose to serve the dip, you can top it with the condiments we mentioned above, including your freshly grated super sharp cheddar cheese. Or if you take the oven dish route, top it with the cheese and stick under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, that will brown the cheese and make it look and taste unbelievable. Top it with the chopped scallions, a little extra cilantro if you would like and serve your jalapenos on the side. I also put a cup of sour cream into a small serving dish, shake on a whole bunch of my favorite hot sauce and mix it in, add a spoon to it for self serving, along with your tortilla chips in a bowl and you will blow your family and friends minds.

I wish that I could explain how absolutely delicious this best black bean dip tastes. Imagine smooth, full of flavor perfection, along with knowing how healthy it is for you which it makes it taste even better. The best part is, you can keep the best black bean dip in the refrigerator for a week or you can even freeze it. I also use it as a garnish when making tacos, on hamburgers and hot dogs and it will make your rice and beans taste out of this world. But, to have something so full of nutrition and protein, in your frig, that you can pull out at any time and eat hot or cold, I don't think that you could ask for more.

I hope this recipe helped you learn how to make the best black bean dip, please let me know if you have any questions and what you think of this creation.