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Chickpea pasta with a kick

There is something about Autumn that inspires us to cook and eat more legumes, would you agree? There’s so much one can do with legumes, not just soups and curries. Today I am showing you a simple and quick recipe to make a delicious chickpea pasta featuring chickpeas and our calamari shaped pasta. It’s a simple recipe that will fill your kitchen with a spicy aroma.

Ingredients

Calamari pasta half pack or 250g for 2 people or 2 portions
1 can chickpeas or 200g precooked chickpeas if you prefer
1 jar country basil sauce
2 teaspoons hot chilli spread or smoked paprika
2 cloves garlic
rosemary dry or fresh
a fresh extra virgin olive oil like our Novello
parmesan to grate
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

This chickpea pasta is going to be a perfect addition to your autumn and winter pasta recipes. It’s hearty, warm and has that kick that is perfect for the colder days.

Start by transferring the country basil sauce from the jar to your pan.

Rinse and drain the canned chickpeas, or get the precooked ones if you are opting for the latter.

Peel and cut the garlic cloves, and add them to the sauce.

Throw the chickpeas in the pan with the sauce and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and add two teaspoons of the hot chilli spread or smoked paprika.

Add one tablespoon of a great quality and fresh extra virgin olive oil, like our Novello if available.

Mix and add a generous amount of dry or fresh rosemary, mix, lower the heat, and leave to simmer for 20 minutes at least. The longer you let it simmer, the more the flavours of your chickpea pasta will accentuate. You might need to add some more country basil sauce if the sauce starts thickening.

While your sauce simmers, boil the water for the pasta, with enough salt. And when the water is boiling throw the calamari to cook following the packaging instructions.

When the pasta is ready, drain it and add it to your sauce. Don’t forget to set aside some cooking water.

Next, mix well to incorporate the sauce and add three tablespoons of the cooking water set aside.

Your chickpea pasta is now ready to be served. Enjoy with some grated parmesan on top and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Tips

If you don’t like spicy food, we suggest to add just half a teaspoon to one teaspoon of the hot chilli spread. This is a great vegetarian pasta to serve to your guests, especially on a weekday when you don’t have much time to cook. It is also a very flexible dish. In fact, you can easily turn it into a minestrone by adding some passata, fresh peeled tomatoes, and an extra can of chickpeas. That way you will have less pasta and more vegetables. In this case, you might need to adjust the amount of hot chilli spread.

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