Chickpea Pasta
This Chickpea Pasta is up there with one of the most cosy, comforting dishes you will ever make. Imagine a delicious bowl of pasta in a flavour-packed, umami-rich, garlicky-tomato and chickpea sauce - finished with crispy sage leaves and plenty of melting Parmesan. So good.
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 15 g sage leaves picked
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 carrot peeled and finely diced
- 2 sticks of celery finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 anchovies chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 400 g chopped tomatoes
- 500 ml hot vegetable stock
- 1 x 700g jar chickpeas drained weight 540g
- 180 g ditalini pasta
- To serve:
- Parmesan freshly grated
- Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan set over a medium-high heat. Add half the sage leaves and fry for a minute or so on each side - or until crispy. Remove from the pan, tip onto a plate and set aside. Finely chop the remaining half of the sage leaves.
- In the same pan, add the other tbsp of oil, then the onion, carrot and celery. Fry over a medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until softened.
- Add the garlic and anchovies. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then continue to fry for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the finely chopped sage leaves to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes.
- Add the drained chickpeas, stir well, then simmer for 10 minutes on a low heat (at this point, the sauce should have reduced slightly).
- Remove from the heat and, using a hand-held stick blender, blitz half the sauce. Return to the heat and bring to the boil. Add the ditalini pasta, lower the heat slightly and cook according to packet instructions (or until al dente) - add a splash more water if needed to completely cover the pasta. Season to taste.
- Divide between two bowls, season with freshly ground black pepper and garnish with the crispy sage leaves. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!
Notes
To store: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 days.
To reheat: To reheat, either add to a pan over medium heat with a splash of water and stir well until bubbling. Or place in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until hot.
To freeze: You can freeze the sauce before adding the pasta. Just go until you blend the sauce and then cool and transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, defrost and then tip into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the pasta as you usually would. You may need to add a splash more water as the chickpeas can absorb liquid and you may need more to fully cook the pasta.
Make it plant-based: you can adapt this for vegetarians by skipping the anchovies and using a vegetarian-friendly Parmesan-style cheese like Gran Moravia. To make it vegan-friendly, opt for a vegan-friendly hard cheese.
Serving suggestion: this is delicious on its own or, for ultimate comfort, some garlic bread to mop up every last bit of the sauce.