Red bean hummus is a healthy, hearty appetizer or snack that’s perfect for sharing with friends! My family loves hummus, but I hadn’t attempted to make it myself. Now that I know how easy it is, I never have to buy hummus from the store again!
This post is sponsored by Moms Meet, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
For this recipe, you’ll need one eggplant, one can of red beans, 2 cloves of garlic, juice from one lemon, your favorite seasoning (I used cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper), and European Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
European Extra Olive Oil
Although I use EVOO almost daily, I just recently learned from Flavor Your Life what makes European extra virgin olive oil such a special ingredient. First of all, it’s pressed without any heat or chemicals so you’re left with the absolute purest olive juice. EVOO also undergoes thorough evaluations to maintain its “extra virgin” status. It’s tested for peroxide values to make sure that it’s fresh and expert tasters sample it for the right balance of flavor.
In addition, I learned that the flavor of your olive oil depends largely on when you harvest the olives and which part of Europe they come from. Olives from Spain taste fruitier and nuttier while olives from Italy make a dark green oil with a grassy taste. And Greek olive oil has a stronger aroma while French olives make an oil that is paler and milder.
Olitalia believes all great cooking revolves around great oil. Olitalia is the #1 brand most used by chefs in Italy and is now available for home cooking in the US. Look for Olitalia at Eataly locations.
Be sure to visit Olitalia’s website and follow them on Instagram!
Red Bean Hummus
To get started on your hummus, roast the whole eggplant in a 400º F oven for about 40 minutes. Once it’s soft, remove the skin. If your eggplant has a lot of excess liquid, you can gently squeeze and blot it out with a towel. The less moisture your eggplant has, the denser your hummus will be.
When your eggplant is ready, put it in your food processor with the red kidney beans, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and lemon juice. Pulse all of the ingredients together and then slowly add the Olitalia European extra virgin olive oil until the mixture is smooth.
Give it a taste and then add salt and pepper as needed! Once it passes the taste test, spoon the hummus into a bowl and drizzle a swirl of extra virgin olive oil on top. That’ll give it one more boost of flavor and add to the smooth consistency.
Serve it with your favorite dippers! Pita bread and slice bell peppers are usually requested in our house, but I also enjoy hummus with cucumber slices, carrot sticks, and cherry tomatoes.
What’s your favorite thing to eat with hummus?
If you love hummus, try it for dinner with my yummy salmon pita pockets!
Talk to you soon!
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- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 eggplant
- 1 15oz can red kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 lemon juiced
- salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients
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- Heat your oven to 400º F. Roast the whole eggplant for 40 minutes. Once it's soft, remove the skin. If your eggplant has a lot of excess liquid, you can gently squeeze it out.
- Put the eggplant, red kidney beans, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and lemon juice in the food processor. Pulse all of the ingredients together.
- Slowly add the extra virgin olive oil until the mixture is smooth.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon the hummus into a bowl and drizzle a swirl of extra virgin olive oil on top. Serve with pieces of pita bread or veggie sticks.