Baked Hummus

Here's a quick and easy appetizer you can toss together on short notice. If you're like me, you almost always have a vat of hummus in the fridge. If not,  you can whip some up in no time. It's well worth the effort to make your own. In a real pinch, buy some hummus at the store. Nobody will judge you. I made this on a whim the other night, just to see if it would be any good. We finished every bit of it, and we ended up calling it dinner. The hot hummus has a cheesy richness that's oh so satisfying. Mmmmm...

Baked Hummus

Start with an oven proof dish of the appropriate size for the group you'll be feeding. A shallow dish is better than a deep one, because you want a bit of the topping with each scoop. Individual ramekins are nice, and a pie plate works well for larger amounts.

Preheat the oven to 350º.

Fill your baking dish with about a 2 inch layer of hummus.

Top the hummus with coarsely chopped un-toasted pine nuts.

Bake at 350º for about 30 minutes, until the pine nuts are lightly toasted. (Keep an eye on it. Pine nuts burn easily.)

Serve with bread or crackers, olives, fresh or sun-dried tomatoes, and spicy pepperoncini. Oh yeah!