When there's not much in the fridge and you have chickpeas and pasta handy in the pantry, you can have Pasta with Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce ready in 30 minutes. Delicious, comforting and healthy!
32ozcanned chickpeas(3 1/2 cups) drained and rinsed
2cupstomato passata(tomato purée)
3/4cupswatercan be replaced with vegetable or chicken stock
1bay leaf
250gramspasta about 1/2 lb, any medium length pasta such as penne, rigatoni, fusilli, cavatelli
salt and pepperto taste
For serving
handful fresh chopped parsley
freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
Instructions
In a large sauce pan heat olive oil, stir in paprika and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add onion and sauté until soft. Toss in minced garlic and cook a minute longer.
Add chickpeas and stir to coat in the onion-garlic mixture. Pour in the tomato passata, water or stock and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Ten minutes before the sauce is ready, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente.
Drain and add to the chickpea tomato sauce. Stir to coat in the sauce. Add a ladle or two of pasta cooking water to thin out the sauce, as needed. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
Drizzle lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley (optional) and serve with plenty of grated Parmigiano cheese.
Notes
Replace canned chickpeas with dry chickpeas which have been soaked overnight and boiled the following day until tender. Use about 3 12 cups of cooked chickpeas to replace a can.
Any variety of medium length pasta shapes work well in this recipe including: rigatoni; penne; fusilli; cavatelli.
Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Please note that the nutritional information provided may vary according to exact portion size and ingredients used.