Hummus is an Arabic word meaning chickpeas, which is the main ingredient in most hummus recipes. To make hummus, chickpeas are often blended with a sesame paste called tahini, which gives the spread a rich earthly flavor. In my recipe for Pumpkin Hummus, I don’t use chickpeas or tahini, but fresh roasted pumpkin, garlic and Greek yogurt.
Roasting your own pumpkin is essential in this hummus recipe, because it gives the dip a delicate pumpkin flavor, similar to acorn squash. You can use canned pumpkin, but I recommend using a little less, because of the stronger flavor.
Pumpkin Hummus is a great spread to serve after school, for a healthy snack or at parties, as an appetizer. You can blend it up 5 days in advance and store it in a sealed container. When ready to serve, drizzle with a good quality olive oil and sprinkle the top with Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes, for a little added heat.
Ingredients
1 sweet pumpkin, about 4 pounds, seeded and cut in half
1 clove garlic, cut in half
1 onion
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup avocado oil or olive oil + more to drizzle over top
1 teaspoon raw honey
6 ounces plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes, optional
salt
pepper
To Prepare:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle a sheet pan with olive oil and place the pumpkin and garlic on top. Roll the vegetables around in the oil to coat and place them in the oven to roast for 50 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes.
2. Dice an onion and saute it in a pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 6 minutes. Add the fresh thyme leaves from the sprigs and stir to combine. Turn the heat off and let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.
3. Scrape the pumpkin flesh and squeeze the insides of the roasted garlic into the food processor.
4. Drizzle in the avocado oil or olive oil and the honey over the pumpkin and pulse the mixture 10 times.
5. Spoon in the sauteed onions, Greek yogurt and parmesan into the food processor and let the mixture puree for 2 minutes or until completely smooth. Then, add a 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper to the hummus and puree again for 30 seconds.
6. The Pumpkin Hummus should be light in color and creamy smooth. Spoon the hummus into a container to refrigerate until ready to serve. Spread the Hummus on a dish and drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkling of pepper flakes. Enjoy!
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