Irresistible Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Recipe

PREP 25mins | COOK 10mins TOTAL 35mins

When we first figured out how to make our own hummus, we were shocked at how easy (and fast) it is. With just a few simple tricks, you really can make creamy smooth hummus at home. Plus, since it really is so easy, we love adding extra flavor like sweet roasted red peppers. Two things here. First, we use canned chickpeas, which is much, much quicker than using dried. Some swear by soaking and cooking their own dried chickpeas, but we’re just not that organized and love that canned chickpeas means we can enjoy our hummus in 10 minutes. Second, our recipe calls for tahini, a creamy paste made from sesame seeds. You can usually find tahini in larger grocery stores or specialty markets, or you can actually make it at home.

Makes 6 Servings or approximately 1 1/2 cups

YOU WILL NEED

2 whole red bell peppers (substitute about 3/4 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers)

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas or 1 1/2 cups (250 grams) cooked chickpeas

1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice, about 1 large lemon

1/4 cup (60 ml) tahini, see our homemade tahini recipe

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

ROAST PEPPERS

Move an oven rack so that it is about 5 inches from the broiler. Turn oven broiler on.

Remove core of peppers then cut into large flat pieces. Arrange pepper pieces, skin-side up, on a baking sheet. Broil 5 to 10 minutes until the peppers skin has charred.

Add peppers to a resealable plastic bag, seal then wait 10 to 15 minutes until cool enough to handle. Or, add peppers to a bowl then cover with plastic wrap and wait 10 to 15 minutes. Gently peel away the charred pepper skin and discard. Reserve 1 to 2 pieces of the peeled roasted pepper pieces to use as a garnish when serving then roughly chop the rest.

MAKE HUMMUS

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice and process for 1 minute, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process for 30 seconds more. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, making the hummus smooth and creamy.

Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process another 30 seconds or until well blended.

Open, drain, and rinse the chickpeas. Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl, then add remaining chickpeas and process until thick and quite smooth; 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the roasted peppers and continue to process for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. If the hummus is too thick or still has tiny bits of chickpea, with the food processor turned on, slowly add 1 to 3 tablespoons of water until you are happy with the consistency.

Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Finely chop the reserved peppers. Spoon hummus into a bowl, make a small well in the middle and add the chopped peppers. Store homemade hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate up to one week.

ADAM AND JOANNE'S TIPS

- How to Cook Chickpeas: You can use canned or home-cooked chickpeas for this recipe.

- Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values. We omitted salt from the calculations since you will need to add to your tastes.

NUTRITION PER SERVING: Serving Size 1/4 cup / Calories 195 / Protein 6 g / Carbohydrate 18 g / Dietary Fiber 5 g / Total Sugars 4 g / Total Fat 12 g / Saturated Fat 2 g / Cholesterol 0 mg

AUTHOR: Adam and Joanne Gallagher, Inspired Taste