I remember coming back from the Middle East in the 1990s and telling everyone about hummus, which most of my family and friends had never heard of it, let alone tasted. It had become a staple for me, and I missed it more than any other food I ate while living in Saudi Arabia, so I started making my own. It was a healthy snack with vegetables and pita, and I spread it on bagel and pita sandwiches. Plus it was a fantastic way for me to get quick protein after a workout, a habit I have continued for 17 years.
Now grocery stores have entire shelves devoted to hummus in several different flavors, and you can buy huge tubs of it at Costco, Wegmans, and other stores. And while I occasionally will pick up one of those tubs for convenience, I still love to make it at home and experiment with flavors. This is one my whole family likes, and the combination of flavors makes it an interesting appetizer to serve for a party with vegetables, crackers, or pita chips. I use fresh baby spinach leaves and canned artichoke hearts with garbanzo beans, sesame tahini, garlic, sea salt, black pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and plenty of lemon juice. If you like artichokes, I think you’ll enjoy the balance of flavors in this hummus.
- 1-3/4 cups cooked garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons sesame tahini
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice
- 4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 to 10 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 14-ounce (397 g) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- 1-1/2 cups baby spinach
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- In the bowl of the food processor, add the garbanzo beans, sesame tahini, lemon juice, 4 cloves of garlic, and 8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Process until almost smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the drained artichoke hearts, and process another minute. Add the remaining olive oil (if needed), baby spinach, sea salt, and black pepper, and process until smooth, about 1 to 2 more minutes. Taste, and then add the rest of the garlic plus additional sea salt and black pepper as desired. Store in the refrigerator in a covered container. Will keep for up to five days.
food processor
Recipe Notes:
The flavor is best with garbanzo beans cooked at home, but you can use a 15-ounce (425 g) can of garbanzo beans in a pinch.
More Tasty Hummus Recipes
Jodee Weiland says
June 10, 2014 at 12:25 pmWhat a great idea for a delicious and healthy appetizer! I could make this a meal…thanks for sharing!
Andrea says
June 10, 2014 at 2:24 pmThanks so much Jodee! I have been known to have hummus as a main course. 🙂
Hari Chandana says
June 11, 2014 at 12:20 amVery beautiful presentation… wonderful!!
TexaDeb says
June 13, 2014 at 9:05 amI was late to the hummus party and am one of those people who hadn’t made it from scratch – yet. This recipe is going to change all that. I’m excited to try out this flavor combination and am betting it will make hummus converts out of anybody lucky enough to share some!
Andrea says
June 20, 2014 at 10:02 amThanks Deb, I hope you enjoy it!