Red Pepper Hummus Pasta Sauce

It's too hot to cook a real dinner. I get it. Here's what we made last Tuesday — pasta water, one jar of Fire-Roasted Red Pepper, and about ten minutes. That's the whole thing.

The Red Pepper Hummus Pasta Sauce

Ten minutes, one pot, no cream.

• One jar of Fire-Roasted Red Pepper hummus
• 8 oz pasta (rigatoni or penne hold the sauce well)
• 1 cup reserved pasta water
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Olive oil
• Salt and black pepper
• Optional: cherry tomatoes, a handful of spinach, fresh basil

How to build it: Cook pasta and pull out a full cup of pasta water before draining — don't skip this. In the same pot, warm olive oil over medium heat, cook garlic about a minute until fragrant. Add the whole jar of hummus and stir it in. Add pasta water a little at a time until you've got a smooth creamy sauce. Toss in the drained pasta. Add cherry tomatoes, spinach if using, let heat do the work another minute or two. Basil goes on at the end.

Why it works: Fire-Roasted Red Pepper hummus already has garlic, lemon, and tahini in it — the base of a real sauce without building it from scratch. The roasted pepper flavor comes through warm in a way it doesn't cold from the jar. Pasta water adds starch that binds everything together. No cream needed.

Make this and tag us on Instagram — @eatgoodhummus. I'd love to see it.

— Ian & Devon