Pesto Greek Yogurt Hummus | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Pesto Greek Yogurt Hummus** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Have you heard? As soon as Thanksgiving rolls around we are officially in The Holidays (capital H). For me The Holidays means house parties, celebratory dinners, and rounds of drinks where I have to do my best to remember that an all cookie and cheese in puff pastry diet in December means new pants in January.

I know I can’t be the only one who wants to make something special that won’t leave me or my guests feeling guilty. I’m also in favor of keeping things as simple and low stress as possible. In my world a frazzled hostess is a grumpy hostess.

Thank goodness for Pesto Greek Yogurt Hummus. The chickpeas and greek yogurt (Chobani, naturally) blended with the deep pure flavor of the garlic, basil and parmesan in the pesto are an awesome combination.

And here’s your get out of anxiety free card - if you don’t have pesto stashed in your freezer from the summer like I did (remember this recipe?), and are running low on the time or energy to make the pesto from scratch then pick up a small container when you’re buying the other ingredients. Taste a little before you add it to the mix to see how strong the flavors are and adjust as needed. A little more pesto here, a little less salt there.

This is also easy to make ahead and stash in the fridge for a day or two, which has the special bonus of allowing the flavors to mingle and grow in power. Delicious, healthy, simple, low stress – sounds perfect for The Holidays, or really anytime of year.

Pesto Greek Yogurt Hummus (yield: 2 cups)

Hummus Ingredients:

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas
1/2 cup Chobani whole milk 4% plain greek yogurt
6 tablespoons prepared pesto (recipe below)
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Hummus Instructions:

Drain the chickpeas through a sieve and place in the bowl of a medium food processor. Measure the Chobani whole milk 4% plain greek yogurt, pesto, and kosher salt into the food processor.

Process for 1-2 minutes, or until the hummus reaches your desired consistency and the ingredients are well mixed. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Serve with your favorite accompaniment. Enjoy!

Pesto Ingredients:

¼ cup walnuts
¼ cup pine nuts (aka pignoli)
3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Pesto Instructions: (yield: 4 cups)
Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and chopped garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the fresh basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute.

Important storage note: This will make more pesto than needed for the recipe and exposure to air will turn it an unappetizing brown. So plan to use the extra right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container with a thin film of olive oil or plastic wrap pressed directly on top to remove air pockets.

Small Kitchen Friendly:
Yes, assuming you have access to a medium-sized food processor. Ours is a 7 cup and it was just right for this recipe, too much smaller and I would have had trouble getting everything to fit. A sieve to drain the chickpeas, dry and liquid measuring cups, measuring spoons, a rubber spatula, a microplane grater, and one medium cutting board finished the job.

The Verdict:
Mike and I both really liked the results of my experiment with Pesto Greek Yogurt Hummus. The freshness of basil and garlic in the pesto balances nicely with the creamy yogurt and nutty chickpeas. The texture is smooth and cool a perfect pairing with crudité, pita chips, or to jazz up a leftover turkey sandwich.