Recipe: Lemony hummus pasta

We made this vegan pasta recipe last week and I thought it was outstanding. It was also very easy and I will definitely make it again.

I modified the original recipe from the New York Times to use half the amounts of olive oil and hummus, and it was still plenty flavorful. Because we had them on hand, I just used two single serve hummus cups from Costco, which is around 1/2 cup, maybe a little more. We used mini farfalle (bow tie) pasta, and then we topped it with grape tomatoes, feta cheese, and kalamata olives. It would also be great with fresh herbs, broccoli or chicken.

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Lemony Hummus Pasta

Course: Main Course

Category: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: 4

Author: Adapted from the New York Times

Ingredients 

• 12 ounces dried pasta of your choice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup plain hummus, store-bought or homemade
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

• Grape tomatoes, cut in half, Kalamata olives, feta or Parmesan cheese, steamed broccoli, grilled chicken, chopped fresh basil leaves or parsley

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain pasta and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium and add the garlic, shallot and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant and slightly softened, about 2 minutes, then add the hummus and ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir until the hummus becomes a looser, smoother sauce. Stir in lemon zest and juice. Turn heat down to medium-low.
• Add the pasta to the pan, toss very well to coat, season with salt to taste, and toss again, adding more reserved pasta water if needed to create desired consistency. Transfer to serving bowls or plates. Top with the herbs and sesame seeds, if desired. Serve immediately.