Use Canned Beets To Make A Quick, Vibrant Hummus

Beets — you either love them or hate them. Even for those of us who appreciate a bite of the slightly sweet and earthy root vegetable, it might get a little overwhelming eating canned beets on their own. To sustainably use up any leftovers, there are many ways to use canned beets including recipes for salads and spruced-up smoothies. Then there are more creative ways to reinvent the canned veggies, like turning them into vibrant and flavor-packed beet hummus.

Some recipes for beet hummus call for roasted or boiled beets, but that doesn't mean canned ones can't pass on the same flavor. It's just like how you might cook canned chickpeas for creamier traditional hummus. In case you've never taken a bite of beet hummus, it'll have a bright-pink color sure to get the attention of any dinner guests and the dish will have the same sweet and earthy flavors you expect from a bite of the vegetable right out of the can.

To make beet hummus from scratch with the canned veggie, you'll need a handful more ingredients to make it happen. Using Tasting Table's ghastly beet hummus recipe as a reference, you'll need a 15-ounce can of chickpeas, 3 tablespoons of tahini, lemon juice, one to two minced garlic cloves, olive oil, and salt for six servings. Our recipe uses two small beets, which is around a cup and a half of diced beets. Some recipes also call for 1 cup of canned beets so that should be enough for the dip. When seasoning, keep in mind that your canned beets may already contain salt so don't overlook the sodium levels and commit one of the major mistakes you can make when using canned beets. Use this tip with any beet hummus recipe and measure out the canned veggie, or blend the canned beets with store-bought hummus to get it on the table in even less time. 

Garnish the beet hummus with roasted chickpeas for crunch, diced beets to use the rest of the can, crumbled feta for creamy zest, freshly-chopped herbs like parsley, or pomegranate seeds for crunch and even more color. And don't forget a drizzle of olive oil to make the hummus look and taste better. Serve this bright-pink hummus with the same pairings as the traditional dip like pita bread, crackers, or vegetables like carrots or celery sticks.