Bacon Zucchini Bean Dip

This festive bacon zucchini bean dip has a lovely bacon-y smoky flavor and a healthy undertone from zucchini that lightens it up without affecting the taste. With cheese melted into the beans and also on top along with an array of fresh colorful tomatoes, peppers, onions and cilantro and more bacon, you’re going to want this colorful creamy good dip at every party.

But hey, you don’t have to wait for a party to enjoy it! In fact, I’m sitting all by my lonesome with a little cup of bean dip and a plate full of chips right now … mostly because there was no way I could sit here and look at the photos of that deliciousness and NOT go grab some.

Say what? You put zucchini in your bean dip?

Um, yeah, I did. I know it sounds crazy … but just try it! It works like a dream. How did I come up with the idea? Well, here’s the story …

I actually made this dip about a month ago to take with us to Folk Fest, which is the first weekend in August. It’s a super fun festival that we go to every year. The music is always awesome and the setting is beautiful, but there aren’t many food or drink options, so I always try to take something yummy along to eat (and drink!) … I had some beans that I had cooked up and zucchini from the garden. I was about to make zummus (zucchini hummus), when something inside me cried out for a Mexican bean dip instead. Another voice inside me questioned that idea and for a little while there was a little internal argument going on while they duked it out, and in the end “we” decided it was certainly worth a try.

I’m sooo happy that the first little voice won and this yummy bean dip came to be! The funny thing is I didn’t end up taking it along to the festival, so I stuck it in the freezer for later. And then I took it out of the freezer in late August and took it up to the lake with me to share with my parents. They loved it too. But my pretty little dip never made it to a party, so I hope at least one of you will make this and take it to a party so it can finally put its little party hat on and dance on every dip-loving party goer’s tongue.

Bacon Zucchini Bean Dip

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6 - 8 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 – 3 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1 small (6 – 8 inch) zucchini, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic UNPEELED
• 1 1/2 cups seasoned cooked beans with juices
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup salsa (I used my cilantro almond salsa – recipe here)
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bacon mushroom salt (recipe here … or 1/4 teaspoon smoked salt)
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin

For the top: more shredded sharp cheddar cheese, chopped tomatoes, onions, peppers, avocado, olives

---

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Toss the zucchini in the rendered fat from the bacon and roast at 425 F for 20 minutes with the whole unpeeled cloves of garlic.
2. Put the beans along with the zucchini, garlic (which should slip right out of its skin), cheese, salsa, and seasonings and blend until smooth.
3. Pour into a cast iron pan or pie pan. Top with more shredded cheese. Bake until the bean dip is bubbly and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with tomatoes, onions, peppers, avocado and/or olives as desired. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

---

Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2018, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

Looking for more bean recipes?

Beans provide a low-cost, plant-based protein that’s high in fiber and packed with nutrients like iron, magnesium and folate. Beans are good for your heart, reduce your risk of cancer, good for diabetics and for preventing fatty liver. They also help control your appetite and improve your gut health. (Source: Medical News Today) So if you’re looking to add more beans into your diet, here are some delicious recipes to help!

• Avocado Jalapeno Zummus (Zucchini Hummus)
• Seriously Awesome Black Bean and Rice Burgers
• Mediterranean Mixed Bean Salad
• Bourbon Bacon Baked Beans
• My Sister’s Simple Trick for Cooking Beans
• Senate Bean Soup
• White Bean Queso Dip
• Boston Baked Beans for Pressure Canning – Cooking with Mary & Friends
• John’s Creole Red Beans – Cooking with Mary & Friends
• Carolina Red Beans & Rice – Cooking with Mary & Friends
• 15 Bean Soup with Ham – Southern with a Twist
• Ham Bone Pinto Beans – Southern with a Twist
• Andouille Sausage Beans & Kale Soup – Ally’s Kitchen
• Baked Beans with Bacon – Moore or Less Cooking Blog
• Mexican Pizza – Moore or Less Cooking Blog

Want more? Here are some scrumptious bean recipe collections I gathered up for you:

• 17 of the Most Delicious Things You Can Make with Beans
• 55 Bean Recipes You’ll be Making All Year Long
• 35 Bean Recipes to Get More Plant-Based Protein in Your Diet
• 31 Recipes that Celebrate the Humble Bean