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Roasted Carrots with Red Lentil Hummus





Total Time
1 hr

Ubiquitous hummus has almost become its own food group. Using red lentils instead of chickpeas is brilliant, because lentils require no soaking and take 15 minutes to cook. You may be surprised to see that once the cooked lentils are mixed with the rest of the ingredients, the hummus is pale in color. This is a great party dish and is easy to multiply for a crowd. While I use carrots in this dish, feel free to top with any roasted root vegetable that looks good in the market.

Serves 4

Roasted Carrots with Red Lentil Hummus




Courtesy of Aran Goyoaga
RED LENTIL HUMMUS
 1 cup red lentils
 1 ½ cups plus 2 tbsp. cold water
 2 garlic cloves, peeled
 ⅓ cup cup tahini
 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
 ½ tsp ground cumin
 ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 or 3 lemons)
 ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
ROASTED CARROTS
 1 lb small carrots (if using larger carrots, peel, halve, and cut into 2-in. pieces)
 ½ medium red onion, cut into 1⁄2-in. wedges
 ¼ cup cup extra-virgin olive oil
 1 tsp ground cumin
 1 tsp sumac (optional)
 1 tsp kosher salt
 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
 ½ cup pine nuts
1

Preheat the oven to 425°.

2

To make the hummus, rinse the lentils in a fine-mesh sieve under cold water until the water runs clear. Shake them around and remove any debris you find. Transfer the lentils to a small saucepan with 1 1⁄2 cups of the water, cover, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10–15 minutes, or until the red lentils are tender and the water has been absorbed.

3

Transfer the lentils to a food processor with the garlic and process for about 3 minutes, or until creamy and smooth. Scrape the sides of the food-processor bowl well, then add the tahini, salt, pepper, and cumin. Process for another 3 minutes until creamy and thick. Scrape the sides of the bowl one more time. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the lemon juice, olive oil, and remaining 2 tbsp. water. Scrape the sides one last time, taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Pulse a couple more times, then transfer to a clean bowl. The hummus will be loose and creamy.

4

Toss the carrots, onion, olive oil, cumin, sumac (if using), salt, and pepper on a baking sheet. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until caramelized and tender. Sometimes when carrots are a bit tough, they take a while to bake and can easily burn on the outside while still being too firm on the inside. To avoid this, when the exteriors are caramelized, turn off the oven and leave the pan inside for another 15 minutes. The carrots will continue to cook at a lower temperature and have
a chance to soften without burning.

5

Place the pine nuts in a sauté pan over medium heat and toast, tossing frequently, until they begin to darken, about 3 minutes.

6

To serve, spoon 2 heaping tbsp. hummus on each plate and top with carrots and pine nuts. Drizzle some of the olive oil from the sheet pan over the top.