White Bean Hummus Pasta Revisited with Croutons

Earlier this week, I made White Bean Hummus Pasta and had leftovers.  Normally, I would freeze them so I can rotate my meals.  I think that's key to eating frugally, if you eat the same thing all the time regardless of how low it costs, you will get tired of it.  And the likelihood of you making the cost effective recipe is less.  But since, I'm low on freezer space at the moment and this leftover meal needed to be eaten. I made spiced it up by adding home made croutons ( I already had batch cooked) and it was a surprising success.  I'd never thought to add croutons and pasta before but the crunchiness of the croutons added a new layer of texture to the meal that made it a perfect compliment !

Ideas for Leftover Hummus

I love Hummus, its low calorie, high in protein and an essential for vegetarians (not that I am one).  It goes great with raw veggies like carrots and celery sticks perfect if your dieting and need a healthy snack! I also use it with chips, pita bread, naan and french bread.  But the thing is it rarely goes on sale in the supermarket and if it does its usually 2 for $5, which is a major frugal girl "No, No".  Snacks are killer to a food budget.  But when it does hit the inventory of Jacks 99 Cent store in NYC it usually goes for $.99 or $1.29 and that is when I stock up.  The great thing about hummus is that it freezes really well.

I take it out of the freezer when I need it and a simple butter knife will easily cut it in proportions you want to use.  And then I microwave it for about 20 seconds and its back to its original spreadable form.

The reason, I'm writing this post is that I picked up 7 containers on my last freegan haul. 

Ideas for Left Over Hummus

• Use as a substitute for mayo in sandwiches for otherwise bland meats like turkey and grilled chicken.  
• Excellent for Veggie Hummus wrap (think Hale and Hearty's).
• Use as a binder for bland Turkey Burgers vs egg whites.
• Make Hummus Pasta (just toss pasta with hummus vs tomato sauce or with).
• Use as a Baked Potato topping.