Caramelized Onions, Olives and Hummus Pasta
Questa ricetta è disponibile anche in italiano
This speedy protein packed pasta dish with hummus, caramelized onion and olive is ideal for a last minute meal, meal prep and mid week lunch.
It often occurs one of the following conditions:
a) we cannot be bothered to cook
b) we don’t have much in our pantry/fridge
c) we don’t have much time to cook
No problem! This speedy, super creamy and protein packed pasta is exactly what you need on “one of those days”!
Ready in as little as 15 minutes of your precious time and with ONLY 6 INGREDIENTS, this super easy hummus pasta with aromatic caramelized onions and fruity Kalamata olives will definitely enter your to-do-meal list, ready to be prepared more often than you would expect!
The secret of this genius pasta is not only its simplicity, but especially its fantastic flavour combination combined with its super creamy texture that I’m sure will make everyone fall in love.
All you need for this gorgeous pasta dish is:
- Pasta of your choice. I’ve used “caserecce” for those interested, but literally any pasta shape from medium size to long will definitely do!
- Hummus. Plain, either homemade or store bought. If you only have flavoured hummus and you still want to try it, keep in mind that taste will vary accordingly.
- Onions. I prefer red onions for this recipe, but any other variety of onions, including scallions and shallots are perfectly fine to use. The main concept of this dish is to use up whatever we have at hand, so just go for it!
- Olives. Once again, I used the Kalamata variety, ’cause they’re my absolute favourite, but you can use any dark olives you have. Green olives will work too but you’ll end up with a rather bitter taste as opposed as sweet-ish.
- Balsamic glaze. Ideal but not essential for a sweet taste but with an acidic after taste. If you don’t have it you can use some balsamic vinegar with a pinch of sugar or syrup. This combination will do the same job!
- Lemon juice. Absolutely recommended to balance the acidity of the dish. If you don’t use it you will have a dish that may be too sweet. It does make the difference, so do not omit.
What’s awesome about this recipe
It’s:
– quick
– easy
– on a budget
As mentioned, this is indeed one of the quickest pasta dishes you can possibly make.
In fact, while you have your pasta cooking you can make its super easy hummus sauce. 
All you need to do is to finely slice the onions and pop them in a very hot skillet with a kiss of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Keep stirring the onions and you’ll see that in as little as 5 minutes they’ll became gorgeously soft and slightly charred. That’s our caramelized onion sorted.
Next is to add the balsamic glaze and the pitted olives. I chopped mine, but you can leave olives whole if you like. Give the ingredients a little stir on a lower heat, then add the hummus and 1/2 cup of pasta water to turn the hummus sauce to creamy and absolutely mouthwatering.
Squeeze the juice of the lemon, add salt and pepper according to your taste and that’s our pasta sauce done!
All we are left to do is to add the pasta, cooked al dente, give all a final stir and our lunch is served!
Feel free to use gluten free pasta if required.
For a protein boost use your favourite bean pasta or make your own Red Lentil Homemade Pasta. This will add another 27% of protein intake, reaching almost 30g of protein for each portion!
This pasta can also be enjoyed both freshly made or cold, which makes it perfect for lunch break at work, pic nics and quick middle of the week meal prep.
What are you waiting for then? Give this pasta a try today and leave me a comment with your thoughts!
If you want to make this pasta in the future, don’t forget to PIN the recipe for later
Caramelized Onions, Olives and Hummus Pasta
Ingredients:
200 g Pasta (Caserecce)
150 g Hummus
2 Medium Onions (Red)
10-15 Kalamata Olives
1 tbsp Balsamic Glaze
1/2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Lemon (Juice)
Salt
Pepper
Chives (to garnish)
Method:
1. Finely slice the onions. Add the oil to a pan and cook the onions on high heat with a pinch of salt until translucent and slightly charred (caramelized).
2. Bring to a boil 700 ml of salted water. Boil the pasta 2 minutes less than recommended cooking time on the packet.
3. In the meantime add the balsamic glaze and the olives (sliced) to the pan with the onions. Sauté for 1 minute then combine the hummus and the juice of half a lemon. Add around 1/2 cup of pasta water and stir well.
4. Drain the pasta al dente, making sure to keep some extra water.
5. Add the pasta to the pan with the sauce, coat well and simmer for a couple of minutes. Add extra water if too dry.
6. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed and serve the pasta topped with finely sliced chives.
For other pasta dishes also check:
– Vegan Spinach Pesto Pasta
– Vegan Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta
– Creamy Vegan Mac & Cheese
– Mushroom Tagliatelle Paglia & Fieno
– Creamy Cauliflower and Mushroom Pasta
– Sea Flavoured Courgettes (Zucchini) and Blossom Pasta
– Asparagus, Broccolini, Courgette and Pea Pesto
– Caramelized Onion, Olives and Hummus Pasta
– Oil Free Vegan Alfredo
– Super Easy Green Bean Pasta Bake
– Pasta with Butternut Squash and Smokey Crispy Seaweed
– Vegan Seafood Pasta
– Pasta with Wild Mushrooms and Parsley+Avocado Pesto
– Creamy Courgette and Rocket Pasta (with Homemade Stracchino Cheese)
– Courgette Blossom Pasta
– Creamy Avocado Pasta with Mixed Nuts and Cherries
– Beetroot Tagliatelle with Mushroom Ragù and Parsley&Spinach Pesto
