Description
This Chickpea, Spinach & Parmesan Pasta is an affordable, healthy and family-friendly meatless meal made with ingredients you probably have right now.
Ingredients
Scale
- kosher salt
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup half and half cream
- 1 (6-ounce) bag fresh, baby spinach
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, divided
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high.
- In a wide, deep pan, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the chickpeas and red pepper, if using. Season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas start to crisp and pop, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer about half the chickpeas to a bowl to reserve for garnish.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic to the skillet, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the half and half and spinach and stir until wilted.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the pasta until a couple minutes short of al dente according to package instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Transfer the pasta to the pan with the chickpea mixture, along with half of the reserved cooking water and a 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, and cook over medium-high, stirring vigorously with the tongs, until the sauce is thickened and the noodles are al dente, about 2 minutes. Add another splash of pasta water to loosen sauce, if needed. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Transfer to bowls, and top with reserved chickpeas, parmesan and black pepper.
Notes
If you don’t have fresh baby spinach on-hand, feel free to substitute frozen chopped spinach (thawed), kale, broccoli or cauliflower.
Keywords: Pasta, Chickpeas, Vegetarian, Spaghetti, Pantry Meals