If you want to add an instant boom of color to something, toss in a beet.
It doesn’t take more than a few roasted cubes of the earthy root veggie to go from drab to gorgeous, with very little effort required.
Take for instance, this hummus.
In brainstorming appetizer ideas to take to a dinner party, some kind of dip naturally came to mind. I make hummus quite often, and while it’s always a crowd-pleaser, it also feels…unimaginative.
But add a beat (or pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, or other fun ingredient), and hummus becomes among the coolest — and brightest — things on the pre-dinner table.
Plus, it’s still hummus, and as I said before, everyone loves hummus. Unless you don’t, and then we can’t be friends.
Beets can be quite powerful in flavor, so I recommend starting out with just 1/4 cup or so once roasted. Make note, however, even the smallest of beets can take up to an hour in the oven, so allow plenty of time for the first step of this recipe.
If you’re a mega-fan, you can always experiment with adding more beets, too, but only a small dose is needed to lend the color.
Serve alongside pita for an easy, yet memorable starter course.
Ingredients
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- 1 (15) oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/4 cup sesame tahini
- 1 small beet (about 1/4 cubed once roasted)
- 1 slightly heaping tsp. cumin
- 2 Tbsp. warm water
- 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
- Olive oil, to drizzle
- 3 rounds of pita, sliced into triangles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Wrap beet in aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour, or until fork tender. Remove, and let cool before chopping into cubes.
- Place garlic in a food processor and pulse until minced. Add remaining ingredients, excluding the olive oil and pita. Puree until smooth.
- Serve with a drizzle of oil and side of pita bread.
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