Loaded Hummus Recipe

Jan 23, 2020

I don’t remember the first time I ate hummus, but I do remember the first time I tried Loaded Hummus. I was trying a new restaurant with friends in the late 1990s, and we thought it would be fun to share their specialty hummus. It was like nothing I’d ever tasted! Every bite on a warm pita was full of all of the yummy things I love–kalamata olives, feta cheese, and pine nuts–plus it had a generous extra drizzle of fresh-tasting olive oil. I immediately went home and started experimenting.

When I was in Israel, I ate the most amazing hummus. It was the texture of Cool Whip rather than the heavy hummus most Americans are used to. I’ve never been able to replicate what I ate in Israel. (If you have a great recipe, please share it with me!) Eventually, I stopped making homemade hummus and stuck to my Loaded Hummus Recipe using a store brand with extra items I keep in my fridge. Sometimes I add sun-dried tomatoes or shavings of Parmesan, but the recipe below is my go-to recipe. If I have an extra few minutes, I’ll toast the pine nuts to bring out the intense nutty flavor, but if I have unexpected guests, this is one of those appetizers you can throw together while your guests are pouring the wine.

I think color is important when I present food. This Loaded Hummus recipe can look bland because so many of the food items are the same color. Because of this, I wait until the end to put the feta cheese. I feel like that bright pop of white is just what this dish needs to make it visually interesting.

Be sure to invest in high-quality extra virgin olive oil for drizzling. So much of the flavor comes from that extra drizzle of olive oil! I keep a container of extra virgin olive oil by my stove that I buy in bulk… but then I have a separate stash of the really good stuff that I only use as a finishing drizzle. Good olive oil can be pricey, but it’s an investment that pays off in flavor. Plus the good stuff will last longer than you expect because you’re not using it to cook but just to finish.

I prefer to quarter pitted Kalamata olives because then I get a small piece of briny olive in every bite. If you hate to chop–or only have olives with pits–just drain a few spoonfuls and put them on the hummus whole. That’s how they do it in the Mediterranean.

Don’t worry about measuring anything. Just add what you think is the right amount of toppings! I tend to put equal amounts of olives & cheese, and then about half as many pine nuts. But experiment until you find your favorite balance.