Roasted Beet Hummus – Yes, Please!
With winter-like days, leafless trees and a blanket of snow outside, I’m thrilled to have an indoor azalea plant bursting with vivid pink blooms. This year I’m especially drawn to all things bright and colorful—including food. Last week I shared pickled pink Daikon Carrot Pickles with you. And 
today we have this stunning magenta hued Roasted Beet Hummus for a dose of vibrant color.
A success story
Here’s the story behind how I turned the pound of beets in our refrigerator into hummus. It all started in September when one of our Minnesota family members shared a recipe with me for roasted beet pesto. It’s been on my recipe-to-try list ever since.
The other day I started thinking in earnest about making that pesto. Then a recipe for a Middle Eastern beet dip caught my attention. It was the “Middle Eastern” idea that got me thinking about my favorite hummus recipe. Which then lead to the inspiration to substitute half of the chickpeas with roasted beets. With that and a couple more adaptations, Roasted Beet Hummus was born. Perfect timing I’d say for bright and colorful holiday entertaining.
Good for you beets
“Beets are dense with nutrients, including potassium, betaine, magnesium, folate, and Vitamin C and a good dose of nitrates. Beets can also help reduce blood pressure and anemia, improve circulation and cognitive function.”
3 things to know about hummus
- Hummus is an Arabic word meaning “chickpea” (also known as garbanzo beans).
- Hummus is also the name of the dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt.
- Many regions claim to be the birthplace of hummus (the dip or spread), though, its exact origin remains unclear.
I do wonder if “hummus” made without chickpeas is really hummus. What do you think?
Roasted Beet Hummus – Vibrant, Versatile, Flavorful
Enjoy this tasty and healthful Roasted Beet Hummus everywhere you enjoy regular hummus. Its stunning color makes Roasted Beet Hummus perfect for entertaining. Picnics, parties, buffets, really any time you want to impress your friends. . .it’s sure to be a standout.
Makes 3 cups Printer-Friendly Recipe
Active Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 ½ hours including time for roasting the beets
Ingredients
¾ pound trimmed, washed beets
1 tablespoon olive oil for roasting beets
1 15-ounce can organic chickpeas/garbanzo beans
1 large clove peeled garlic, or more to taste
1/3 cup Meyer lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground coriander
Scant ½ teaspoon Aleppo or other red pepper flakes
12 twists freshly ground pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup drained liquid from the chickpeas
3 tablespoons roasted tahini, preferably Soom Tahini
Garnish
Drizzle of your best extra-virgin olive oil
Thinly sliced scallion greens or chives
Directions
To roast the beets, heat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the trimmed beets in a small baking dish. Drizzle them with the tablespoon of olive oil. Place a quarter-inch of water in the bottom of the dish and cover it tightly with foil. Bake until the beets are tender, 60 to 75 minutes. Peel the beets when cool enough to handle.- Drain the can of chickpeas, saving their liquid. For the smoothest Roasted Beet Hummus, remove the skin from a quarter to a half of the chickpeas. Lightly rub each chickpea between your thumb and forefinger to do so.
- Mince the garlic by dropping it through the feed tube of a running food processor. When minced, use a rubber spatula to scrape down the garlic from the sides of the work bowl. Add the lemon juice.
- Roughly cut the peeled and roasted beets into 1-inch
chunks. Put the drained garbanzos, beets, and the rest of the ingredients into the food processor in the order given. - Process the hummus for 4 minutes, scraping the sides of the work bowl once or twice to incorporate everything.
- Stop to admire the color. Adjust the salt to taste.
- Serve Roasted Beet Hummus garnished with a good swirl of your best olive oil and some thinly sliced scallion greens or chives.