Beet Hummus

Growing up the word “beet” brought one thing to mind: Beautiful Beets. Beautiful Beets was a dish that my mom made, and her mom made, and probably her mom made. Think mashed beets with sour cream – magenta pink, earthy and for a child, anything but beautiful. Sorry Mom, no hard feelings I hope.

My feelings for beets have changed over the years. What once was a strange looking and odd tasting bulb that was better off in the dirt has now become one of my favorite ingredients. I eat beets raw, roasted and pickled. I use them in salads, sandwiches, juices and now in this hummus. If your feelings about beets are similar to what mine were as a child, I’m here to tell you that this root veggie deserves a second chance.

Fun health facts about beets:

1. Studies show that the high levels of unique antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents found in beets contribute to a decrease in the risk of many types of cancers.
2. Beets support your bodies natural detox abilities. The same compounds that give beets their red hue help to capture toxins and flush them out of your system. 

Beyond they’re health benefits, red beets really do have a beautiful color, eat I’m all about eating the rainbow. Start by roasting cleaned beets with olive oil, salt and pepper. You want to roast the beets until they are tender enough to stick a knife through, about 30-40 minutes. I recommend lining your sheet tray with aluminum foil to avoid the sugary, red juice that can boil out of the beets while cooking.

This is a pretty traditional hummus recipe, beyond the addition of beets and the use of dill. Feel free to add a bit more lemon juice, or salt, or tahini depending on how you like your hummus. I like to serve hummus with homemade pita chips, toasted rye bread or crudite.

[mpprecipe-recipe:4]

Hummus will keep in the fridge in an air tight container for a week but my guess is you’ll eat this pretty quickly. It’s a show stopper!

Cooking tip: this recipe works just as well with yellow beets and feel free to experiment with roasted carrot as well!

Interested in more fun, healthy and delicious recipes like this? Sign up for my free Newsletter for fit tips, recipes and more!