Hummus Melts

I've been on a vegetarian kick lately; making some new recipes and revisiting some old favorites. I would like to pretend that my renewed obsession with vegetarian meals is due to the fact that I'm being super-health conscious, but that's not it. Really, it boils down to time. It seems that we have had a lot going on in the evenings, and most vegetarian meals are just faster to prepare and get on the table. I don't have to mess around with thawing out a protein, so that saves me some prep time and most dinners can be put together in under a half an hour. Also, I've found a bevy of new vegetarian recipes lately that I've been itching to try out.

This recipe is one of the new ones that I found on Pinterest . We had a family night at my son's school and a "Mom's Night Out" event for my group of mommy friends, so we needed to get out the door in a hurry last night. A lengthy dinner just wasn't an option for us, so I thought these open-faced sandwiches would be a good choice. I was right...this recipe was super-easy and fast to put together. I had dinner on the table in about 20 minutes from start to finish. Not to mention, it was really, really healthy and tasty...we all gobbled it up. Thanks Pinterest for another simple and efficient vegetarian winner!

Hummus Melts
Adapted From: the (Never home)maker blog via Pinterest

Ingredients:
4-6 whole wheat English muffins
a large container of your favorite store-bought (or homemade) hummus
1 bag of washed baby spinach (I used a bag of an arugula/spinach salad blend)
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 white onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat broiler on high. Place halved English muffins on large baking sheet, cut side up and toast under the broiler for a few minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Saute onions in the oil, with a pinch of salt, until soft and translucent (about 5 minutes). Add minced garlic and saute for another minute, or until the garlic is fragrant. Add entire bag of washed baby spinach. Using a pair of tongs, toss spinach in onion mixture until wilted. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Toss again to combine and remove from the heat.

Place a large spoonful of hummus on each toasted English muffin half. Then, using your tongs, evenly place a small pile of the spinach mixture on top of each half, over the hummus. Sprinkle each muffin half with a handful of shredded cheese. Place back under the broiler and cook until cheese is melted, starting to brown, and bubble. Remove from oven and serve immediately.



The Result:
So good! Our serving size was 2 halves per adult, and 1 half per kid at our table. I think I made a total of 5 English muffins, so there were 10 halves all together. There were plenty for us for dinner and we still had some leftover. These little sandwiches were so filling and satisfying...everyone loved them! Also, I had another one for lunch today and they reheat nicely. Another thought just occurred to me about this recipe...it is really economical! I fed our entire family of 5 (more or less; not including some of the other ingredients that I had on hand) with 1 bag of spinach, 1 container of hummus, 1 bar of cheese, and a package of English muffins. It breaks down to less than $2.00 per person for dinner; less if you factor in the leftovers. I love that!