Bright Beet Hummus Recipe
With its vibrant pink hue, there’s no camouflaging the star ingredient—beets—in this recipe. For early childhood educator Jed Norris, that’s by design. “Food and making food with kids is a lot about trust,” he explains. “Beets can be a polarizing food for a lot of young kids, but rather than ‘hide’ them, this dish highlights beets in an approachable way.” Playing with colors and textures, says Jed, are two great ways to encourage young learners to try new foods.
Jed prepared this beet hummus with fellow early childhood educators at the Cultivating Joy and Wonder workshop over the summer, pictured above; participants harvested the beets from the garden, roasted them in a foil packet over the fire, and prepared the dip to be enjoyed with crudité and fresh-baked flatbreads. “If I was serving this dip to kids, ideally we’d do it the same way, harvesting and cooking together. They’re often more willing to try something when they harvest ingredients themselves or help with the preparation,” says Jed. “There’s also a magic moment in preparing this dish. When you add the beet into the food processor, the color of the dip completely changes!”
A few more tips from Jed:
- The tahini in this recipe is optional; without it, you’ll have something closer to a chunky dip than a silky hummus.
- For an especially picky crowd, you could make a few different flavor variations. Divide your hummus base and, instead of beets, add your favorite seasoning (like Everything Bagel mix) or a different vegetable (like roasted red peppers).
- We use hand-pulled food processors in our outdoor kitchen – they’re a great way to get teams of kids and adults involved.
Bright Beet Hummus
Makes 4 cups
Ingredients
- 10 oz cooked beets (boiled and drained or oven-roasted in a foil packet until tender)
- 1 lb + 14 oz canned white beans
- 2 Tablespoons raw garlic
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Method
- Drain and rinse all beans.
- Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. (Add the beets last, if you’d like to watch the color change!)
- Serve with seasonal vegetables for dipping and enjoy.
Based on a recipe created by Karyl Kent, School Nutrition Director for Mount Mansfield Union School District. For more kid-approved recipes, visit our resource section to download the New School Cuisine cookbook.
