Vegetarian
20130803-zucchini-chickpea-dip-primary.jpg

Chickpeas come together with sweet roasted zucchini to create a light, silky dip that's far more exciting than your average store-bought hummus. [Photograph: Lauren Rothman]

About the author: Lauren Rothman is a former Serious Eats intern, a graduate student of journalism, and an obsessive chronicler of all things culinary. Try the original recipes on her blog, For the Love of Food, and follow her on Twitter @Lochina186.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

About This Recipe

Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Active time: 10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Special equipment: Food processor

Ingredients

  • 3 to 4 medium summer squash, cut into rough dice (about 1 quart)
  • 1 medium red onion, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or use 1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in 3 cups water)
  • 3 medium cloves garlic, smashed, peels removed
  • 2 tablespoons tahini paste
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice from 2 lemons
  • About 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon za'atar

Procedures

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Toss squash and onion with 3 tablespoons olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Turn onto a rimmed baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until vegetables are tender and browned, about 20 minutes.

  2. Add chickpeas, garlic, tahini, and roasted vegetables to the bowl of a food processor. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pulse until well-chopped. With machine running, stream in olive oil, lemon juice, and water, and blend until smooth. Add more water if mixture is too thick. Taste, adding more oil, lemon, or seasoning as needed.

  3. Scrape dip into a serving bowl, drizzle with 1 additional tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with za'atar. Serve with toasted flatbread, pita or crudités.