white beans

Sriracha Two Bean Hummus is a perfect lunch recipe for when you don’t have much time to prep for the week ahead. With a few ingredients and a bit of attention from an immersion blender, you’ll have a creamy, spicy hummus that pairs well with fresh vegetables and with pita bread. This also makes a good spread for sandwiches.

Sriracha Two Bean Hummus uses both garbanzo beans and white beans. I love the added texture that the garbanzos lend to the hummus, as I think it complements the smooth and creamy texture of the white beans. You can use any type of white bean in this recipe. When I was doing the research for this recipe, I came across a great article on the difference between the three most common kinds of white beans: cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, and navy beans. I admit that I’d always been curious about why navy beans are called navy beans – as it turns out, they were the preferred bean used by the Navy in the early 1900s. Other differences – cannellini beans are the largest of the lot and hold their shape the best. Great Northern beans have a nuttier flavor and are a bit smaller. Navy beans are the best for recipes in which the bean shape isn’t important as they fall apart easily. It’s why they are most often used in baked bean recipes. One article I read suggested it really doesn’t make a difference if you are using canned beans rather than cooking dry beans. For this recipe, I say use whichever white bean is handy or already in your cupboard.

I love to add Sriracha to recipes as it adds a perfect kick of spice. In this case, I think it livens up the hummus quite a bit. I kind of feel like bringing Sriracha Two Bean Hummus with me to work, especially when it’s paired with a lot of veggies and some pita bread, is sort of like having a picnic at my desk. This would be perfect paired with a mini-muffin or two or some really good fruit. I’ll likely also have a smoothie with this.