This bright pink hummus was a huge success at our Thanksgiving table. Everyone had fun trying to guess the secret ingredient. This is another recipe for those beet skeptics in your circle.

Ingredients

3 fresh medium Red Beets, about 1 pound

1 whole Garlic Bulb

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp ground Black Pepper

1 tsp + 1/4 cup Olive Oil

1 can (15 oz) Garbanzo Beans(chickpeas)

3-4 TBSP Lemon Juice

2 TBSP Tahini

1/2 tsp ground Cumin

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/4 cup plain Greek Yogurt optional

Minced fresh Parsley or Dill

Assorted fresh Vegetables

Sliced or torn Pita Bread, Crackers, or Toast

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Pierce beet skins with a fork, arrange spread out in a oven proof lidded baking vessel. Drizzle a little olive oil over the beets. A Dutch oven, roasting pan with lid, or casserole dish with lid works well. A cast iron frying pan with an oven proof plate on top can work as well, just be very careful handling the hot lid.

Remove papery outer skin from garlic bulb, but do not peel or separate cloves. Cut whole bulb in half crosswise, sprinkle halves with 1/4 tsp Salt and 1/4 tsp Pepper, drizzle with 1 tsp Olive oil. Place garlic in baking dish alongside the beets.

Roast beets and garlic until beets are fork tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, rinse beets with cold water, and peel when cool enough to handle. Once the garlic has cooled enough, squeeze garlic from skins

In a food processor, combine beets, garlic, garbanzo beans, lemon juice, tahini, cumin, cayenne pepper, and 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and black pepper. Process until smooth.

Optional: add 2 TBPS Greek Yogurt with hummus and pulse.

Sprinkle finished hummus with dill or parsley, and serve with assorted vegetable and pia bread.

Smoother hummus tip: Gently warm the chickpeas before processing. Also I usually reserve some of the chickpea liquid in case I’d like to thin things out just a bit.

Enjoy warm or chilled with veggies and breads of your choice. Keeps for up to a week in the fridge.