One of the best pasta recipes you can make uses a much-loved dip as the base for an amazingly creamy sauce
One of the best pasta recipes you can make uses a much-loved dip as the base for an amazingly creamy sauce(Image: Getty Images)
Everybody loves a steaming bowl of pasta, but sometimes cooking everything from scratch can feel like a mammoth task during a busy working week. If you’re looking to cut out all of the hard work, one of the best recipes of 2025 has a sauce made from a much-loved ingredient that’s slightly unconventional to pair with pasta.
Ryan Miller, better known as Foodiligence, has been recreating the top 50 recipes from the New York Times’ Most Popular of 2025. In a TikTok video from March, Ryan shared one of the most-loved pasta recipes from the past year.
He said: “The New York Times ranked this recipe at number 28 and it uses one ingredient that, in my opinion, should never be in pasta. But why did it taste so good?”
Hummus can help add a nutty taste to the pasta(Image: Getty Images)
The secret ingredient for this pasta recipe is none other than the humble dip, hummus. Created by chef and food writer Christian Reynoso, he uses hummus as a great vessel for adding more flavour to a pasta sauce without the need for a proper sauce.
Christian wrote: “Hummus, with its nutty and garlicky flavor, makes a fantastic dip, spread or even a salad dressing, but it can also be a great base for a pasta sauce. A little garlic and shallot sizzled in olive oil, along with fresh lemon juice and zest, help amp up premade hummus.
“With a little water, the hummus thins out enough to become a creamy sauce to fully coat noodles. You can add chickpeas, fresh herbs, za’atar or almost any roasted or fresh vegetable to this pasta and it will feel like your own.”
When making the recipe, Ryan said: “It still feels wrong, but five stars, 1,600 reviews don’t lie.”
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To help brighten up the sauce, add a generous amount of lemon zest and juice. Ryan’s video has already been viewed over a massive 1.5million times, receiving 63,400 likes and 266 comments.
Maddy wrote: “I’ve been vegan for 20 years and putting hummus on pasta for a lonnnggg time, it’s delicious.”
Pi said: “Good to know my ‘I don’t have energy to cook, let’s just put pasta and this leftover hummus together and call it a day, it got carbs and protein, I’m good’ pasta dish is a new york wo wo dish ahhahaha.”
Another commented: “Hummus as a pasta sauce is one of those things that sounds weird until you actually try it. The starchy water pulling everything together into that creamy consistency is the real move here.”
Spot665 said: “Just tried this… OUTSTANDING! It will be in our dinner rotation from now on.”
Here’s how you can make an incredible pasta recipe without having to stress about making a pasta sauce from scratch.
Lemony Hummus Pasta
Ingredients
Salt12 ounces (340g) spaghetti or bucatini¼ cup (60ml) olive oilFour garlic cloves, finely choppedOne large shallot, finely choppedOne cup (Approx 250g) plain hummus (store-bought or homemade)One lemon, zested and juicedTender herb leaves of your choice, for servingToasted sesame seeds, optional
Method
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, reserving one cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain pasta and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium and add the garlic, shallot and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant and slightly softened, about two minutes, then add the hummus and half a cup of the reserved pasta water.
Stir until the hummus becomes a looser, smoother sauce. Stir in lemon zest and juice. Turn heat down to medium-low.
Add the pasta to the pan, toss very well to coat, season with salt to taste, and toss again, adding more reserved pasta water if needed to create desired consistency. Transfer to serving bowls or plates.
Drizzle with more olive oil, if desired, and top with the herbs and sesame seeds, if desired. Serve immediately.
Dining and Cooking