Recipe By Cody Owens | Photography By Mary Fehr
I have an affinity for beets. Not sure how it came up, but recently, some friends and I were discussing the best sandwiches we’ve ever had. The looks I got when I told them mine—a veggie Reuben with marinated beets instead of meat, from a now-closed restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama—said everything. I’d still ride into battle for that sandwich, and I don’t care what they say.
But this isn’t a sandwich recipe. This is about my favorite little road trip snack: pickled beet hummus. The crowd goes wild!
Pair it with some pita chips, veggies, or swipe it onto a road trip sandwich if you want—that’s what I do. You can whip it together in under 10 minutes, and everyone will be like, “Whoa,” in a good way. It’s vibrant, tangy, a little earthy, and guaranteed to turn even the beet-buzzkills (my so-called “friends”) into beet-lievers, like me.
The Recipe
Total Cook Time: 10 minutes or less
Yield: About 3 Cups
Serves: 6-8
You will need a food processor or blender to make this recipe.
Ingredients:
2 cans chickpeas, drained
6–8 pickled beets from a jar
1 garlic clove
½ cup tahini
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp za’atar (or substitute cumin)
½ tsp cayenne
1–2 Tbsp cold water plus more as needed while blending
Olive oil, for garnish
Fresh thyme, for garnish
Salt, to taste
Instructions:
Add chickpeas and tahini to a food processor; blend until smooth.
Add pickled beets, garlic, honey, za’atar, cayenne, and salt. Blend until combined.
With the motor running, add cold water a little at a time until the hummus is silky. If too thick, add more water as needed.
Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with olive oil, fresh thyme, and a sprinkle of za’atar.
