For a tasty midweek dinner that's quick and simple to make, try this easy hummus spaghetti with falafel and spinach. Fuss-free and delicious!

Quick & Easy Hummus Spaghetti with Falafel & Spinach

Name: Quick & Easy Hummus Spaghetti with Falafel & Spinach
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 14 min
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 400g spaghetti; 2 cubes frozen spinach (or 3 generous handfuls of fresh spinach); 8 falafel (you can vary the amount to use what you have); 6 sundried tomatoes, sliced or chopped into pieces (more if you like); 200g (just less than a cup) hummus (but again you can add more if you like a lot of sauce on your spaghetti); 1 squeeze of lemon juice from a fresh lemon (optional, but brightens up the flavours); 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional); a good grinding of black pepper; 1 cup (any size) of pasta water (scoop the water towards the end of the pasta cooking and set aside to loosen up the sauce.

Sometimes I just want to make an easy meal for a quick dinner and often it's a spaghetti dish with ingredients I always have in the fridge, cupboard or freezer.

All those regular, standby ingredients that are so useful for adding to so many dishes.

The key ingredients I wanted to use were hummus, falafel and spinach for those Middle East flavours.

A creamy hummus pasta sauce full of protein, vitamins and minerals.

Above all, it had to be quick to make and pretty much ready once the pasta was cooked.

I managed to tick all the boxes and I'm really pleased with this quick midweek family dinner.

Why is hummus pasta so good?

Let me tell you why I think this one-pot dinner is such a great addition to your meal plan this week.

It's quick - it's made in under 15 minutes
Easy to make - anyone can manage this dish
Cooked in one pot - so less washing up
Added veg - always a good idea
Full of protein from the hummus and falafel - which are a good source of plant-based protein
Nut-free - so many creamy pasta sauces are made with cashews
Cheap dinner - it's easy on the wallet too
Tastes great

close up of hummus pasta in a pasta bowl.

What you need to make hummus spaghetti

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this tasty vegan weeknight dinner.

Spaghetti - plain or whole wheat spaghetti
Spinach - frozen or fresh
Hummus - homemade hummus or store-bought hummus, either will do
Falafel - homemade falafel or shop-bought falafel
Sun-dried tomatoes - or sunblush tomatoes
Lemon - a good squeeze of lemon juice can brighten the flavours up
Chilli flakes - optional
Black pepper - to season
Pasta water - scoop out a cup of the pasta water towards the end of cooking, so you can add some to loosen the sauce

This hummus pasta recipe is such a delicious recipe for an easy meal that can be easily tweaked each time you make it.

And so little meal prep!

Variations to hummus pasta

Here are a few ideas you can use to vary this creamy pasta sauce with extra fresh veggies and other flavours.

Use flavoured hummus - like sweet chilli hummus or red pepper hummus
Add corn for a touch of sweetness - either tinned or frozen
Olives - pitted Kalamata olives are a good choice, if you like olives
Halved cherry tomatoes - give a nice fresh pop and a contrast to the sundried tomatoes
Fresh herbs - like fresh parsley or fresh basil (dried herbs would be ok too)
A drizzle of pesto - thin down some pesto with a little olive oil (or extra virgin olive oil) and drizzle over the spaghetti before serving

I'm sure you will have some great ideas too.

Can you add frozen vegetables?

I often add frozen veg to the pasta pot to cook with the pasta.

It's a cheap and quick way of adding extra vegetables to a dish.

Here are some frozen vegetables you could add to this easy hummus pasta dish.

Frozen vegetables you can add to pasta

Broccoli
Cauliflower
Corn
Green beans
Peas
Spinach

These all work well, but I would only add 2 or 3 of them at the most.

Can you use other pasta shapes?

Definitely change this spaghetti with your favourite pasta shapes, or just whatever you have in the cupboard.

Here are a few pasta shape ideas.

Penne - tubes
Rigatoni - tubes with ridges
Tagliatelle - flat strands which are a good alternative to spaghetti
Farfalle - bow ties
Macaroni - short straight or curved tubes
Spriali - spiral tubes
Conchiglie - shells

There are other shapes available, but these are my go-to pasta shapes.

Want another quick pasta dish? Try quick and easy homemade arrabbiata pasta.

Save money on pasta

Dried pasta is all very similar in quality.

In my opinion, as long as it's well cooked, there's not much difference between the more expensive brands of dried pasta and the supermarket budget pasta.

In fact, if you check the short codes on the packets, you will see they are often made in the same factories.

So save your money and buy the cheapest supermarket-own-brand pasta.

Swap 500g of Napolina spaghetti with Tesco Hearty Food Co. Spaghetti and you save £1.22.

That saving will really add up over the course of a year.

Tips for the best pasta every time

Here are a few tips to help you cook perfect pasta.

Use a large pot deeply filled with water - pasta needs room to move as it cooks
Always salt the water for flavour - a generous pinch
Never add oil - the pasta won't stick together if you have deep, rapidly boiling water and give the pasta a stir when you add it and when it is cooking
Make sure the water is boiling rapidly - before adding the pasta
Stir the pasta well when it is added and during cooking - to prevent it sticking together
Cook until al dente - check it a couple of minutes before the packet suggests, it should be cooked but firm
Remove some of the pasta water near the end of cooking - to add to the sauce to make is silky
Drain well, but don't rinse the pasta - unless you are making pasta salad, then you rinse to cool and stop the cooking process
Alternatively, scoop the pasta straight from the pot without fully draining and add to your sauce - the pasta water clinging to the pasta will help make your sauce silky
Serve right away and enjoy

Prefer crispy falafel?

Falafel balls are broken into the pasta before serving, but if you like them crispy, then pop them in the air fryer or oven for 10 minutes (a little longer in the oven) while the pasta cooks to help it crisp up.

The baked falafel will still be soft on the inside, but the crispy outside will add nice texture to the pasta.

It's fine to add ready made falafel without baking too as it's ready to eat.

You decide.

No cheese?

Nope, no cheese in this one.

It really doesn't need it as the hummus and other flavours gives enough flavour and cheese could overwhelm them.

This is a great dish for using up leftover hummus, but if you really need that umami cheesy flavour, why not stir nutritional yeast (nooch) into the hummus.

It's great for adding vitamin B12, which can be hard to get in a vegan diet.

Also, feel free to add more hummus for a really luxurious creamy texture.

Hummus pasta with falafel and sundried tomatoes in a pasta bowl.

What to do with leftover pasta

Of course, you can just pop leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and eat it for lunch over the next day or two, but I never really enjoy the texture of leftover cooked pasta.

If I know I'm going to make too much pasta, what I like to do is leave some of the pasta in the colander, when I tranafer the rest to the pot to add the other ingredients.

I give the leftover pasta a good rinse under cold water so it is cold and glossy, shake it well to remove the excess water, then add it to a bowl to mix with some of the other ingredients I was adding anyway and pop it in the fridge.

Or you could add some pesto and chopped up bell peppers, cucumber, tomato and corm instead for a simple lunch.

Both make a great pasta salad, that's actually a joy to eat instead of claggy pasta that sticks together.

It's a great way to use up leftover pasta.

Then again, sometimes I just let my dogs enjoy the leftovers (as long as the ingredients are ok for them).

More vegan pasta recipes to try

Here are a few more vegan pasta dishes for you to try next.

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spaghetti, pasta, hummus spaghetti, hummus pasta, quick pasta, vegan spaghetti recipe

Dinner

Middle Eastern

Yield: 4-5 servings

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum