Hummus Pasta

This is one of those recipes for when you don't have much time to cook but still want something homecooked, wholesome, tasty, and with high-quality plant protein.

Chickpeas hummus and pasta are a tasty and nutritious combination; to make this pasta dish even more delicious, we like to add sauteed mushrooms.

All you have to do is: 1) sauté the mushrooms, 2) cook the pasta, 3) toss pasta with hummus, mushrooms, and some pasta cooking water.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley on top, freshly cracked black pepper, and good quality EVO oil, and your delicious, quick, and easy hummus pasta is ready.

Pasta

You can use any pasta for this recipe, including gluten-free pasta. We use rigatoni, but spaghetti, linguine, fusilli, rotini, and penne are also excellent.

You'll need a large pot of salted boiling water to cook the pasta.

Hummus

This recipe is best with chickpea hummus. You can make homemade hummus with a blender or food processor following our hummus recipe or use your favorite store-bought hummus.

Reserved pasta water

Although this is technically not an ingredient but a byproduct of pasta cooking, I write it in the list here because it's essential to make this recipe.

We use reserved pasta cooking water to make the hummus sauce.

Sauteed mushrooms

To speed things up, use pre-chopped mushrooms. You can use fresh or frozen mushrooms.

You'll also need olive oil, salt, black pepper, and garlic.

You can use most mushroom varieties, including white button mushrooms, portobello, cremini, and baby bella mushrooms.

Learn more in our sauteed mushrooms post.

Parsley

Add a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley to freshen up the dish and add a touch of color.

Boil the pasta

Put a large pot of water to boil, season it with salt, and add the pasta. When the pasta is cooked al dente, reserve two cups of pasta water, drain the pasta, and toss it in the pan with the sauce.

Mushroom and hummus sauce

Clean and chop the mushrooms into ⅙ or 4mm thin slices.

Warm up the olive oil in a large skillet, then add the mushrooms. Season them with salt and black pepper.

Cook mushrooms on medium-high heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until browned.

The mushrooms will first release water.

Keep cooking them until the water is gone and they get some brown color; then add grated garlic and chopped parsley, stir and cook for one more minute until you smell the garlic aroma.

Add the hummus and one cup of reserved pasta water.

Stir and cook on low heat until the hummus gets creamy. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

Toss pasta

Turn the heat off, toss in the cooked pasta, and stir it until fully coated in the sauce.

If the sauce is too thick, add more pasta water until you reach your desired consistency.

Serve with freshly cracked pepper, parsley, and a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil.

You can also sprinkle it with a tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese or vegan parmesan.

This hummus pasta recipe is pretty nutritious and fulfilling and doesn't need much else. We like serving it with a light side dish like:

• Pear salad with cranberries, mixed green leaves, and ricotta cheese
• Shirazi salad with cucumber and tomatoes
• Fennel and orange salad with pomegranate seeds and black olives
• Shaved Brussels sprouts salad with mustard-maple syrup vinaigrette and cranberries

Caramelized onions and hummus pasta

Add caramelized onions on top of this dish. They are delicious with hummus and mushrooms. You can omit the mushrooms and mix the caramelized red onions with the hummus pasta sauce.

Confit tomatoes and hummus pasta

Add one cup of tomato confit in the creamy pasta sauce and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Confit tomatoes are juicy, garlicky, and sweet and add a ton of flavor to this dish. Serve with fresh basil leaves.

You can get them at the store or make them home with our tomato confit recipe.

Spinach and hummus pasta

Cook a pound of spinach in a frying pan with olive oil, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Add the hummus, the reserved pasta water to reach a creamy consistency, and a couple of tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Toss in the pasta.

Serve it with cracked black pepper on top, and optionally a handful of parmesan or vegan parmesan cheese and some grated lemon zest.

This pasta with hummus and mushrooms is best eaten soon after making it because the hummus dries out quickly.

The best way to store it is in the fridge, in a bowl, covered, for up to 2 days. Also, keep one cup of the pasta water that you'll use to reheat this dish.

Reheat the pasta on a pan with a bit of more fresh hummus, some reserved pasta water, and a drizzle of olive oil until the sauce gets creamy again.

This recipe is not suitable for freezing.

More Vegan Pasta Recipes

If you love weeknight-friendly and easy pasta recipes, check out these 20-minute pasta ideas:

• Spaghetti aglio e olio: garlic and oil spaghetti, an elegant Italian dinner idea
• Broccoli pasta with mashed broccoli and a creamy sauce
• Pasta Puttanesca with olives, capers, and a rich tomato sauce
• 20-minute pasta Pomodoro: authentic and rustic Italian flavor with a tomato-packed spaghetti recipe!

Got mushroom leftovers? Take a peek at these quick and easy mushroom recipes with few ingredients required:

• Mushroom gravy: ready in 20 minutes and with simple pantry staples!
• Roasted mushrooms: a versatile and quick side dish idea
• Mushroom tofu cutlets: a 20-minute plant-based dinner idea
• Bolognese with grated mushrooms (mushroom ragu)

For many more dinner ideas, check out our mains category page.