Hummus is one of those iconic party dips that I can’t ever get enough of. Beet Hummus is a riff on the typical hummus and I have been wanting to try it for quite some time.
I love so many of the flavors that go into hummus. On the short list: lemon, cumin and tahini. Then of course, I also love garlic, salt and chickpeas. Did you know that those are just about all the ingredients that go into making hummus? It’s one of the easiest recipes to make, but also one of the hardest for me to follow. I always end up tweaking it, adding a little more cumin, a bit more lemon, etc.
To me that is the beauty of cooking, adapting recipes to suit your taste!
In the spirit of adapting, I decided to change up my classic recipe and make a Beet Hummus by adding a roasted beet and by using Cannellini beans instead of traditional chickpeas. The changeup results in a super creamy, bright pink and earthy spread.
Tahini is a key ingredient in this dip. Tahini is a nut butter made of ground sesame seeds. I wouldn’t suggest substituting other things such as sesame oil. Trust me, I have tried it and it just doesn’t taste the same.
Tahini can be used to make yummy salad dressings, sauces, and it is also great on sandwiches. Plus it keeps FOREVER in the fridge. So get a jar and I promise you will find so many uses for it.
Beet hummus, like the classic recipe, comes together in a snap. The longest part of making it is in roasting the beet. My suggestion is to roast a bunch of beets at one time. Set aside a medium sized beet for this recipe and then use the rest in salads or as a side dish. You can even freeze roasted beets! Life changing, I know! After you have roasted and cooled your beets, then you just chop one up and then, add it and all the other ingredients for the Beet Hummus to your food processor. Give it whirl until it’s smooth and creamy. Then, I usually taste it so see if it needs more of something. I tend to be heavy on the lemon and cumin, but you may want yours to have more garlic. It’s all a matter of taste.
I served up my Beet Hummus with celery and homemade tortilla chips (Just corn tortillas that I brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and bake in a really hot oven until they are crisp). No matter how you like your hummus, try adding something new and fun like roasted beets and see how you like it!
Beet Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized beet
- 1 15 oz can white beans like Canellini, drained
- Juice of one lemon
- Salt and ground pepper to taste
- 2 cloves of garlic chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ½ cup Tahini paste
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- fresh cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Wash and trim beet. Rub with olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil.
- Roast in oven for 45-60 minutes or until beet is tender. Cool completely and chop into chunks.
- In a food processor, combine beans, chunks of beets, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and Tahini. Combine until smooth.
- Slowly drizzle in olive oil.
- To serve: drizzle the top of the hummus with olive oil and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
