Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Mix together roasted red bell peppers, tahini, garlic and olive oil and you’ve got a smokey red pepper hummus that is not only healthy, but also delicious!

Fall is here and that means football season has started! If you don’t have a team to cheer on or can’t stand watching overpaid athletes chase a ball, have no fear. Tailgating parties means it’s all about the football munchies. And boy do I have some of my favorites bites to share with you!

If I could forgo a big meal and just enjoy appetizers, I totally would. The Spanish knew what they were doing when they developed tapas as a way to eat.

Small bites of different types of dishes, so many flavor options and textures, too. TOTAL YUM! And this roasted red pepper hummus is one of my favorite appetizers!

Why is this recipe so awesome?

Are you a fan of hummus, like me? Well, you will be happy to know that hummus is a very healthy and nutritious. Hummus is made with chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, which are packed with protein. They are also very rich in fiber.

Hummus is also made with tahini, which is basically ground up roasted sesame seeds. Tahini is is a great source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

And for this hummus recipe, we are using red bell peppers. Bell peppers are very nutritious and are high in vitamin C, as well as vitamin K1, vitamin E, vitamin A, folate and potassium.

But not only is hummus incredibly healthy, this version with roasted peppers is incredibly flavorful and ridiculously easy to make. It’s one of my favorite appetizers that you can dress up for a cocktail party or serve while tailgating.

Ingredients you need

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• Garbanzo Beans: Traditional hummus is made with chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans). I like to use canned beans, but you can use dried and then cook them. You can also use other beans for hummus, like great northern beans, navy beans or cannellini beans. I have used all of these beans for hummus.
• Tahini: Another traditional base ingredient for hummus is tahini, which is sesame paste. you could substitute tahini with nut butter, but do understand that this will alter the taste.
• Lemon Juice: You can freshly squeezed lemon juice or even lime juice for the zing in this hummus.
• Garlic: I love garlic and love having garlic in my hummus. Not a fan? You can skip it or use garlic powder.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A quality olive oil is a must for making hummus. You can use a mild flavored oil or a spicy one. You can also use infused olive oil for additional flavor, like lemon or garlic.
• Red Bell Pepper: Use red bell peppers instead of green, yellow or orange because they are sweeter and so full of flavor.
• Hot Sauce: This is optional. I like to add some extra heat to my hummus. You can also use cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
• Salt and Pepper
• Garnish: Olive oil, green onions, chopped roasted bell pepper

Recipe Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Coat bell pepper with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Roast in a 400ºF oven for 20 minutes.

2. You can also roast bell peppers over a campfire, in a grill or over the gas burner in your kitchen. You can place the peppers in the hot coals or use long handled tongs and hold them over flame. Rotate as the skin blackens and the pepper softens.

3. Once cooled, remove any charred skin. Remove the stem, seeds and membrane from bell pepper. Finely chop 1 teaspoon of bell pepper. Reserve this for garnish. Coarsely chop remainder of roasted pepper and coarsely chop.

4. Add coarsely chopped peppers to the bowl of a food processor along with garbanzo beans, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, 3 TBS olive oil, ground pepper and hot sauce (optional) and purée until smooth.

5. Spread hummus into a shallow serving bowl and garnish with ½ teaspoon olive oil, reserved chopped red bell peppers and diced green onions. Can be served chilled or at room temperature.

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQS

There are a number of different ways to roast your bell peppers. Any of these ways will work for this red pepper hummus.

• You can roast bell peppers over a campfire or in a grill. Just place the peppers in the hot coals and rotate as the skin blackens and the pepper softens. Once cooled, the black charred skin comes off very easily.
• If your kitchen has a gas stove, use long tongs to hold the pepper over the flames. Just rotate the pepper over the flames until it is blackened and soft. Remove the black skins when cool enough to touch.
• You can also roast bell peppers in the oven. Simply coarsely chop and remove the white membrane and seeds from the pepper and coat with a little olive oil. Place them on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven at 400ºF for 20 minutes. Flip the peppers over and roast an additional 20 minutes and you’re done!

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