I find ‘white bean spread’ to be a spy-cover for what it really is: roasted garlic spread (at least—my version of it).

It is so common in trattorias and osterias all around Tuscany and greater Italy, to find a mix of bruschetta or crostini on the menu. In Tuscany we frequently run into these crostini toppers: liver spread, tomatoes, lard with or without honey, olive paste, ricotta, and very frequently: white bean spread.

Cannelini beans are the norm here. You will find them cooked with tomato sauce as a cradle for sausages, you will find them served by their lonesome, or in soups, on salads (try this one!) and quintessentially as a crostini-topper.

I cheat. I pump up my version of ‘Tuscan white bean spread’ with loads and loads of roasted garlic. Because I love it that way. And I am unafraid. Sure, I will smell like garlic for days… but it is worth it. And the beans and garlic pair so beautifully together in equivalent amounts that it seems they are a match made in heaven. I mean: who reduced the amount of garlic in the first place? When did ‘less garlic’ become law? In my mind—with this spread—I am setting things straight:

Tuscan white bean spread
white beans (canned beans, drained)
roasted garlic (many heads of it)
coarse salt
optional: whitish Italian herb blend
fantastic olive oil (new oil if you have it! but one that you just love to taste)
grilled bread (I sometimes broil, sometimes grill, sometimes press both sides in a saute pan to brown…)

Use a fork and mash together equal parts roasted garlic (I roast the garlic, then squeeze it out of its shell like toothpaste), drizzle in olive oil to achieve desired spreadable texture; add salt and herbs according to taste. Spread on crostini, drizzle with oil and serve.

I could just call this ‘resolute salad,’ since it is my quick version of a New Year’s resolution. It is that time of year again to reverse the results of holiday eating and imbibing, to go lighter on the bread, cut down portion size and drink water like it is going out of style. But one need not suffer.

In fact, this salad is a preferable choice for lunch. And the beans and tuna give it enough ‘meat’ to keep your belly happy for hours (no need for mid afternoon lunching to fill the watery-lettuce void). The white beans are classic Italian fare (white or cannellini beans), as is the tuna, arugula and fabulous olive oil.

Arugula, White Bean and Tuna Salad
arugula
white beans (from a can works)
tuna fish (packed in olive oil, then drained)
olive oil, to taste
kosher salt and coarse pepper (KS&CP)

Pile ingredients.

A few twists:

• I like to add shaved Parmesan, I think the salty bite is brilliant against the tangy arugula and tuna.
  We use our best olive oil, since it goes straight from the bottle to our mouths (we use our second class olive oil for cooking).
  We differ in opinion on this, while my husband skips the balsamic, sometimes I add a squirt of reduced balsamic vinegar.
  You could add: really seasonal, perfectly ripened cherry or baby Roma tomatoes.
  Lots of freshly ground pepper is key, the more the better.

New Year’s resolutions aside… or forward… this really is a healthy, scrumptious lunch.