What We’re Cooking This Weekend: Chickpea & Tomato Pasta

|Updated Jul 15, 2021

JD Raymundo

If you only have a few minutes and want to cook a delicious dinner, pasta is the obvious choice: You can whip up a hearty and tasty dish pretty quickly and you probably always have a few boxes in your pantry. With that in mind, I wanted to make pasta that uses ingredients you would already have in your kitchen. Chickpeas and tomatoes are some plant-based essentials everyone always has easy access to. Simple? Yes. Delicious? 100%! Plus, it’s all made in one pot so you can save yourself some extra dishes. Who doesn’t love that?

If you aren’t a fan of chickpeas, you can always use a different legume or even some crumbled-up tempeh. For me, I love the heartiness of chickpeas and they are an excellent source of fiber and protein. What I love about this pasta the most is it’s not heavy pasta, and you won’t feel weighed down, even after a hefty helping. The sauce is just made of crushed tomatoes, water, and the starches from the pasta. So feel free to grab a second serving and enjoy!

Chickpea & Tomato Pasta

Prep Time: 10 Min
Cook Time: 30 Min
Total Time: 40 Min

Ingredients

½ Medium Onion, diced
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
14 oz Can of Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Dried Rosemary
¼ Tsp Dried Chili Flakes, optional
1 Cup Crushed Tomatoes
4 Cups Water
8 oz Short Pasta of choice(penne, rotini, rigatoni, etc)
Handful Fresh Parsley, chopped
½ Cup Vegan Parmesan

Instructions

In a medium to large saucepan, heat up some oil over low-medium heat. Add your onions and cook for 3-5 minutes or until they soften up and become translucent. Add your garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute. Add your drained and rinsed chickpeas and cook for 5 minutes. This will help get rid of the tin flavor.
Add your salt, rosemary, and chili flakes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Using a fork or a masher, rough mash half of your chickpeas. Add your crushed tomatoes and stir around. Let it cook and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Taste for any adjustments in seasoning.
Add your 4 cups of water and pasta, bring to a simmer and simmer for 15-18 minutes, stirring occasionally. The starches from the pasta and the chickpeas are going to thicken up the stock to turn it into a sauce. Stir in your chopped parsley and vegan parmesan. The vegan parmesan will also help it thicken up a little. Taste for any adjustments in seasonings. Serve right away and garnish with extra vegan parmesan and parsley. Enjoy!

Nutritionals

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