20 Minute Mediterranean Hummus Noodles with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes.
I made us something light and delicious for lunch!!
Or dinner. It’s really whatever you are feelin, but the point is that this is easy, quick and light! Am umm vegan too…but again, you’ll have to subtract the feta. Sorry, I just can’t do with out the cheese.
Ok, so let me tell you my “poor me” sob story regarding these Mediterranean hummus noodles. I know, maybe not the best way to start a post.
Anyway, I have now made this noodle dish three times as well as taken three sets of photos. Why?
My mom would say because I am crazy, and I would agree, but it’s really just because if my head decides something is not just right, than it will bug me until I finally give in and try to make it right. And that’s what I did with these noodles.
The rational part of my brain knew that the first day I made these they turned out delicious and the photos were fine, but the rational side of my brain NEVER wins.
SO.
Basically, I was unhappy that I just slightly overcooked my noodles and in turn they came out all mushy. Here’s the thing though, the noodles still tasted great and you really couldn’t tell they were THAT mushy in the photos, BUT I knew, and so it bugged me. Please tell me someone can relate to this? I can’t be the only one with this crazy of a head on their shoulders…then again, maybe I can.
A week later I decided I’d try just one more time. BAD IDEA.
This day was just not good one. Bad things happened all day. And by that I just mean, I very poorly styled the photos and the lighting was ALL off.
Yes, I am serious. Can you say, a tad on the dramatic side? Yes, I think so. To me though, those are bad, bad, bad things. <–real world problems right there…NOT.
I still couldn’t leave things the way they were, so I made the noodles again (on the same day…good thing they are so quick to make). Third time is a charm right?? Sort of. Still not happy with my bright blue background and worry that it’s a tad obnoxious, but by the third try my thoughts normally just give way to being tired of trying and I except the imperfections.
Also, my mother has informed me that she’d never want to be in my brain. She says it sounds exhausting. To me, it’s just me, and I know nothing else. BUT honestly, I kind of like it. I feel like in the end I make the right choices, so even though at times my brain is a tad torturous, I still love it.
Which is a good thing cause I don’t think I can replace it. 🙂
With all that said I really do love these noodles. They are tossed with a super quick “hummus” pasta sauce that’s creamy and filling. It’s a lot like a cream based pasta, but without all the cream.
Score!!
The noodles are good completely on their own, but I had a bunch of cherry tomatoes that were a day or two past their prime so I just blistered them on the grill and made a quick sauce for topping. Oh, and I added some baby bell peppers because, YUM!
And that’s it. It’s a completely vegan and gluten-free noodle dish if needed, and perfect for a light lunch and or dinner…which means we get to eat chocolate later!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
20 Mediterranean Hummus Noodles with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes.
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: cherry tomatoes, hummus, noodles
A light and delicious for lunch
Ingredients
- 2 cup cherry tomatoes
- 12 baby bell peppers
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- pinch of salt + pepper
- 3/4 pound thin spaghetti use gluten free if needed OR more zucchini "noodles"
- 3/4 cup of your favorite hummus I just used plain hummus
- 1 cup pasta cooking water
- 2 tablespoons basil pesto use a vegan pesto or omit if needed
- 1 cup fresh basil
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 medium zucchini spiralized using a veggie spiralizer*
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts chopped
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 4 ounces feta cheese crumbled (optional)
Instructions
-
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
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While the water comes to a boil, heat a grill or grill pan to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss in the tomatoes and baby bell peppers with a pinch of salt and pepper. Grill the peppers until grill marks appear on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. If using an outdoor grill, place the tomatoes on skewers and grill for 30 seconds per "side" or until the tomatoes just start to blister. Remove from the heat. Set aside.
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Once the water is boiling, boil the pasta until al dente. Just before draining the pasta, reserve at least 1 cup of the cooking water. This is SO important as the water is used to make the sauce. Drain the pasta.
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Add the hummus, pesto, basil and crushed red pepper flakes to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add 1 cup of pasta water to the hummus mixture and whisk to combine. Add the hot pasta and zucchini, toss well to combine. Allow the noodles to sit five minutes so the sauce has time to thicken.
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Grab half of the blistered tomatoes from earlier. Add them to a bowl and lightly mash with a fork, be careful, they will splatter. Stir in the pine nuts, olives, oregano, balsamic vinegar and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
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Divide the pasta among bowls and top with the tomato sauce, grilled peppers and the remaining blistered tomatoes. Add a handful of feta. Enjoy warm!
Recipe Notes
*If you do not have a spiralizer just thinly slice the zucchini into matchsticks. **Inspired by Rachel Ray Magazine May 2015 Issue.
Of course.
I like every ingredient on this list, especially the cherry tomatoes, the only type of tomato I will eat (I know wife gets annoyed too) but lunch? No way, this is dinner material. Lunch is like a protein shake because we’re too lazy to cook. Anyhow, chocolate later sounds like a good reward for eating so nutritious. Do you tutor? Haha.
Combining hummus and pesto is genius!! This looks perfect girl!
I have been dying to try a hummus sauce and this dish looks like the perfect place to start! And oh man…how many times I look at pictures and just despise all of them! But these are beautiful and love the blue background!
I love the blue background! I think it’s super fun and different and honestly it really makes the tomatoes stand out! I totally get you on re-making noodles 3 times because the voice in my head says I should haha! I’m a bit of a perfectionist also so I can empathise 🙂
I’ve never thought of using hummus as a pasta sauce but it sounds amazing! I can just imagine how rich and creamy it is so I will definitely be trying this out. Thanks for the great recipe!
Lauren x
LOVE this hummus sauce! What a wonderful summer dinner idea! We’ll be giving this a try for sure!
Hummus sauce?! I can’t believe I’ve never tried it! And don’t worry, my mom doesn’t want to be in my head either 😉
This looks amazing! I would never in my life have thought to combine hummus and pesto. And I love the blue table. Everything looks so colorful.
I can understand you doing things over and over because it’s just not right yet. I used be quite the perfectionist like that but as I’ve gotten older I’ve just realized that no one is going to die if it’s not perfect and the only person who is stressing out about it is me.
Speaking of being a perfectionist: the word is “accept” not “except” in the proffered usage (“accept the imperfections”).
Thanks for pointing it out
I love the photo, the blue captures your attention and goes very well with the veggies. This dish looks amazing, I love all of the flavors, incredible!
I am a big believer that hummus can be used in almost anything. Pizza, pasta, sandwiches, tacos, wraps, on top of meat, etc. This dish looks great Tieghan!
I bet this tastes great cold too…Slurp!
GORGEOUS!
This dish has my name written allllll over it. Hummus is basically its own food group for me and love it on everything.
These photos are stunning!
Hello Tieghan! You are still really on a roll! These noodles look devine! Teigan roll on! You are not crazy! You are persnickity! Attention to details is what enriches out lives! You can make peanut butter toast for lunch or this delightful noodle recipe! The details of our lives is what we remember. They are the best part! Your photos were getting on your last nerve because YOU ARE AN ARTIST!
I never thought of putting hummus and noodles together! Great idea!
I think your teal background looks absolutely lovely – not obnoxious at all and is a nice contrast to the blistered tomatoes. Love that you used hummus as pasta sauce and that this is vegan (because let’s be real, I sometimes have a hard time finding fun dishes for vegans in my life). Great job creating a perfect summer pasta!
I love those blistered tomatoes, I could seriously live off of these noodles! And I love that blue background, it totally pops. The 3rd time was the charm! 🙂
I’m making this because it looks oh so good.
I’m going to make this recipe because it looks oh so good and health.
I can totally relate to the madness. My brain works the same way, and I almost feel like I’m cheating If I say cook the noodles al dente but mine were not. So crazy, I know but part of who we are ! I’v taken hundreds of photos in a day just to delete them all later. I called it ” test shoot ” So don’t feel bad, it is your journey! Love the blue background, I have a thing for my blue one that I shamelessly use over and over again. Those noodles look divine !
Don’t worry Tieghan you are not alone in your craziness! And third time is a charm because these photos look amazing! I cannot wait to make these for dinner next week (lunch is eaten on the go, and this needs to be savoured!). I love the garlicky hummus combined with more traditional pasta accompaniments, once again you are a genius!
I am making this ASAP with zoodles!! And for this, it is definitely worth a three time photo attempt – this turned out stunning!
Thanks Megan! I hope you love the noodles! 🙂
I love everything in this recipe. I used the last of my hummus for the creaminess in the cauliflower potatoes. I loved it, hubby didn’t. I will definitely try this recipe. Thanks!
Thank you!! Hope you love the noodles!!
This looks AMAZING. I wonder how it would taste the next day? Maybe keep the bottom-of-the-bowl deliciousness separate?
Yes, you could totally do that, but they are even good cold the next day too..but I like your idea better cause I love hat food! 🙂
I finally made this… and I am SPEECHLESS! It was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever made! I didn’t include the olives or pesto because I’m trying to spend a little less on groceries, and I had goat cheese to use instead of feta but completely forgot about it in my haste to dig in to the delicious pile of noodles… I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow, and I’ll definitely be making this again soon!
SO happy you loved it, THANK YOU! Hope you had a great 4th! 🙂
Wow !! One of the best spaghetti I tried ! It break all my landmark. Fantastic ! 😀
This looks wonderful. If you use all zucchini noodles, what is a good substitute for the pasta water in the sauce? Thank you!
HI! I would use regular water, white wine, or chicken broth. Wine is my first choice, then broth, then water! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
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