This easy 20 minute pasta recipe is made using fresh vegetables, flavorful herbs, and a scoop of your favorite creamy hummus!
If you're looking for an easy weeknight meal that's budget friendly, you're in the right place.
Not only is this pasta recipe cost effective, but it's incredibly creamy, savory, and full of delicious flavors. You can serve this dish on it's own, as a main dish, or even a flavor-filled side dish!
If you're looking to complete the meal try my Vegan Summer Rolls or Sesame Tofu recipes.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick & Easy: It takes just twenty minutes to make this recipe from start to finish.
- Stores Well: This pasta and sauce combo is great for meal prepping and making in advance.
- Vegan & Plant-Based: Everything in this dish is made without meat, dairy, eggs, or any other animal products!
Ingredient Notes
Pasta: You can choose any pasta that you have on hand or love best, though I recommend a thicker options such as penne, shells, or spaghetti.
Pasta Water: You'll get this by scooping out two cups of water from the pot you cooked the pasta in. Wait until the end just before draining the pasta.
We do this to add extra starch to the finished dish.
Hummus: Like the pasta, you can choose what flavor hummus you use here. I prefer to use either classic or Mediterranean.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
Adjust the level of spice: The original recipe calls for half a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to give it a nice spicy kick. If you want to make an extra spicy hummus pasta use a full teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
If you don't want it to be as spicy, use half the original amount or eliminate it completely.
Make it even creamier: You can add an additional half cup of hummus if you're looking to make a creamier hummus sauce. You might need to add an additional splash of reserved pasta water in this case in order to thin things out just a little.
Make it gluten-free: All you need to do to make this entire recipe gluten-free is to swap the traditional pasta for a gluten-free version.
Expert Tip: the original recipe calls for classic hummus. If you want to bring the flavor to the next level, use a flavored hummus like Mediterranean or garlic hummus!
Step by Step Instructions
Image 1: After prepping all of your ingredients and getting the pasta started in a separate pot, combine the olive oil, onion, and tomatoes in a large pan and cook them over medium-low heat for about 4-5 minutes.
Image 2: Next, you'll add the garlic and spices/seasonings to the pan and stir everything really well. Allow this to cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
Image 3: Add the reserved pasta water and the hummus to the pot and stir it all together. Continue to cook it over medium-low heat to make sure it's warm and thickened up slightly.
If the sauce is too thick you can stir in additional reserved pasta water one tablespoon at a time.
Image 4: Gently stir in the cooked pasta and the fresh basil. Once it's well mixed, serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Cook the onions fully before adding the garlic. You'll want the onions to be translucent and soft before adding the garlic to the pan. Garlic burns quickly and easily so by allowing the onions to fully cook before adding the garlic, you'll ensure that everything is sautéed perfectly.
- Use a thick pasta. This is an extra creamy vegan hummus sauce and it is best when served with a thick noodle. Using too thin of a pasta such as angel hair won't compliment the thick sauce.
- Set a reminder to reserve pasta water. There is nothing worse than draining the pasta just as you remember you needed to reserve pasta water. Set a timer or alarm, or write yourself a quick note so you don't forget this important step.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Though hummus is traditionally served either as a dip for fresh veggies, naan, etc. it is absolutely delicious when cooked or served warm. Using it in this creamy hummus sauce is one of my favorite cooking hacks.
Hummus classically consists of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), tahini which is a paste made from ground sesame seeds, lemon juice, and in most cases a splash of extra virgin olive oil.
Though this dish is best when served fresh, you can absolutely store it for later. If you're storing it make sure it's cooled all the way before placing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
When reheating this pasta, I like to add an extra tablespoon of water to thin out the sauce a little. Or better, make and store extra sauce in a separate container and combine with the pasta when reheating.
More Plant-Based Pasta Dishes You'll Love
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Creamy Hummus Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ pound pasta
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup sweet onion diced
- 1 cup hummus
- ½ cup tomatoes diced
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup basil freshly chopped
Instructions
- Start by cooking the pasta according to package instructions. At the end of cooking reserve 1-2 cups of the pasta water in a large measuring cup before draining the pasta.
- Combine the olive oil, onion, and tomatoes in a pan and sauté for about 5 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic, salt, nutritional yeast, and crushed red pepper flakes to the pan, stir, and continue to cook another 1-2 minutes.
- Pour 1 cup of the reserved pasta water and the hummus into the pot and stir everything together until well combined. Continue to cook for several minutes until it has thickened to your liking.
- Stir in the pasta and the basil, and enjoy!
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