Hummus Sausage & Veggie Pasta Bake
My mom raved about this recipe for months and months before I tried it. And, once I did, I totally get it. It’s easy to make, uses a handful of simple ingredients, and makes for a balanced meal in one dish - complete with whole grains, veggies and protein. We sometimes even make this a meatless meal and omit the chicken sausage.
But, “Hummus in pasta?” you ask. It sounds strange, but don’t knock it till ya try it. It’s perfectly creamy and really doesn’t taste like hummus once everything comes together. My husband loves this dish but HATES hummus (weirdo!). So, don’t get all squirmy if you’re not a hummus fan - you probably won’t notice it, oddly.
Lets talk about how I serve this to my family. First of all, the veggies cook up super tender, so baby Kate enjoyed this very early in her eating journey - maybe at 7 months. That’s why I love it so much right now in this season we’re in. I don’t have to worry if she can manage the texture! My middle child (now 3.5 years) picks around some of the veggies but really enjoys the pasta, especially if I let him sprinkle his own cheese on top. He also tried the chicken sausage for the first time tonight (Y’all, I wanted to scream with excitement and tell him how proud I was, but I kept a cool, poker face and didn’t even acknowledge it… it’s so hard sometimes!). He’s had many many many exposures to Aidells Chicken Sausage, I’m not sure what the hold up was - all in his own time, I guess.
Now, my oldest and most finicky won’t touch anything about this meal. So, do I make him chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, pb&j, cereal? No. But I do make this thing we like to call “Hummus Pizza” for everyone as a side… and he LOVES hummus pizza (and Kate loves his leftover crust!). It’s basically a large piece of naan bread smothered in hummus and topped with mozzarella cheese. Then I bake it for 8 minutes or so and it looks like a pizza. I slice it up and we all have some with our pasta as a side. I also serve fruit which is accepted by everyone. So… I’m not specifically catering to him (although some might think I am) but there is a side on his plate that he loves and everyone is happy. Another idea, if you think your child won’t be into “Hummus Pizza” is simply a plate of apples and peanut butter or bananas and peanut butter. It’s a filling side that everyone can pass around and enjoy if they choose.
Lastly, this recipe is adapted from Joy Bauer’s Mediterrean Baked Pasta with Eggplant and Hummus. I liked her recipe, but I decreased the salt since I was feeding it to a baby, and I added a few zucchini because I felt like it skimped on the veggies. Her recipe also calls for a 14-ounce box of pasta and I usually buy 16-ounce boxes so… just a few small changes to make is work for my family and I. We eat this at least twice a month at our house. It’s a keeper!
Enjoy!
Hummus Sausage & Veggie Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium eggplant, chopped in 1-1 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 small zucchini (or one large), chopped into 1-1 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1, 10-ounce container roasted red pepper hummus
- 1 package of pre-cooked chicken sausage links (we use Aidells), sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
- 1, 16-ounce box pasta (we use whole wheat fusilli)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Add the chopped eggplant and zucchini to a large casserole dish - a 9x13 inch pan or larger.
- Sprinkle the salt and garlic powder over the veggies. Pour the olive oil on top and give them a good toss.
- Make a well in the center of the veggies and dollop the hummus into the open center.
- Roast the veggies and hummus for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, boil the pasta according to the package directions. Before you drain the pasta remove 1 cup of the pasta water to reserve for later.
- Remove the pan from the oven and add the sausage slices amongst the veggies.
- Place the pan back in the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and add the cooked and drained pasta. Toss everything so the pasta is nice and coated in the hummus mixture, adding extra pasta water as needed to thin out the sauce (I usually use about 1/2 cup of the pasta water).
Notes
Recipe adapted from: Joy Bauer's Mediterranean Baked Pasta with Eggplant and Sausage
You can easily adapt the recipe to be vegetarian by simply omitting the chicken sausage and adding more veggies. Using a chickpea pasta or Barilla Protein Plus pasta would add some protein, but we usually just stick with the whole wheat fusilli.