Thursday, October 21, 2010

Hummus Surprise


Isn't hummus the best?

Smooth texture, heavy on the garlic, rich tahini flavor...when it comes to spreadable foods, it's hard to beat hummus (well, let's be honest: hummus is a close second to nut butter, right?).

Although we're all used to consuming hummus with the usual suspects--raw veggies, wrap sandwiches, falafel, and pita bread--tonight I enjoyed it with a most un-usual suspect: pasta.

Thank you, Clean Eating Magazine. They never fail to inspire the most innovative and fresh ideas when it comes to food. We paired sun-dried tomato pasta with roasted garlic hummus, roasted broccoli, and red bell pepper.

The result was absolutely delectable, and amazingly easy to assemble, rendering it the perfect menu to follow a long day of work. Bonus: This pasta dish definitely has a summer-time vibe to it, which is just what I need in the midst of this chilly weather and pumpkin insanity (don't get me wrong--I'm as much of pumpkin-head as the next girl right now. But isn't a taste of July in order every now and then?)

Save the falafel for another night. Tonight, go wild with your hummus and try it with pasta.

Do you have any unique or unusual pasta toppings?

Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Hummus and Roasted Broccoli
(adapted from Clean Eating Magazine)

Feel free to load up more veggies with this one--add whatever sounds good to you! Sorry there aren't any amounts on this one--we just added as we went along :)

Ingredients:
  • Sun-dried tomato pasta
  • Broccoli florets from one crown of broccoli
  • a little olive oil
  • Garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Pre-made roasted garlic hummus (we went the lazy route and used pre-made batch from Aldi. Delicious!)
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 carrot, shredded
Directions:

1) Cook pasta according to package directions. Preheat oven to 420 degrees.

2) Place broccoli in a large bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Roast broccoli in the oven for 12 - 15 minutes, tossing once halfway through.

3) To serve, add hummus and veggies to individual servings of pasta.

16 comments:

  1. Yum!! I love me some hummus and have definitely never had it with pasta! Great idea. :)

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  2. Wow...what a great idea! I never would have put hummus with pasta, but it looks yummy. The flavors sound so good with the roasted garlic and sun-dried tomato.

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  3. i love hummus and i can't get enough of it when i'm having it!! i love it with a falafel and veggies!

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  4. I've never had this combo but I'm def. going to try it! What a good idea!

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  5. Hummus is a great pasta-topping idea! I can see how it would add a creaminess, some protein and some great flavor!

    Now, I'm trying to figure out why we didn't all think of this sooner?

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  6. It sounds delicious. I just made a walnut crema that reminds me of hummus - similar texture and creaminess and approximately the same level of healthiness.
    Unusual pizza topping - I wanted to try a paneer tikka masala topping.

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  7. I have never heard of tomato pasta. They have that? This recipe looks SO simple yet soooo good! I can only imagine how creamy it is with the hummus, and such a great way to get in veggies! I am totally making this this weekend when the hubby is out!

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  8. I'm not big on hummus -- the smell drives me nuts. I can't help it.

    But, this dish sounds really good -- maybe it will help me start to like hummus more?

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  9. I love hummus and I love pasta. Match made in heaven!

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  10. i love hummus and using it as a pasta sauce is a brilliant idea, thanks

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  11. Ryan and I started doing this a few months ago, and we love it! No more marinara for us! This looks like a simple, flavorful and nutritious meal...just what we need more of. Thank you for sharing, and thank you again for your kind words and thoughts during this hard time. You are too sweet.

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  12. I've been meaning to try hummus on pasta forever! This sounds- and looks!- sooo good.

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  13. Um, YEAH hummus is the best! I've made hummus sesame noodles before. This mix of flavors looks great too!

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  14. Yum, looks fantastic! I love Clean Eating Mag. Oh, and definitely a HUGE fan of hummus so partnering it up with anything makes for a delicious meal!

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  15. It sounds great, but I don't think I could get the family to play along. I might have to try this one alone. Who woulda thought hummus on pasta!

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