Chickpea Spaghetti

one day back around the time of the new york city marathon, deb from smitten kitchen made this wonderful pasta filled with chickpeas, veggies and all around deliciousness. luckily for me, I had most of these items in my fridge and with some spinach on the brink of going bad, I decided to put my own little touch on this gem.

as an "athlete", i am always looking for ways to eat deliciously while being healthy all at the same time. this bad boy definitely falls into that category, so I highly recommend this quick and easy recipe to any person...whether an athlete or not. ;-)

Adapted From: Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients
15 ounces canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained or about 2 cups, freshly cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup vegetable stock (or chicken stock) stock
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Pinch chile flakes ( I use red pepper)
1 Cup of Grape Tomatoes (Halved)
2 Cups of Uncooked Spinach
Salt to taste
1 pound spaghetti (or angel hair pasta)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Directions

1) Cook Pasta and drain accordingly

2) Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan

3) Saute garlic and onions, until onions are translucent (4-5 minutes)

4) Add spinach to garlic and onions and cook until spinach begins to wilt. Then add tomatoes, veggie stock and chile pepper flakes and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

5) Remove mixture in saucepan from heat and add it to the spaghetti and mix well. Season with salt and pepper accordingly.

6) Top with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

7) Share and ENJOY!

Notes: When you add the veggie(chicken) stock, you can simmer it up to 20 minutes, depending on how much you want the flavor to seep it. I thought it was delicious without all the additional time. Additionally, the original recipe also had pancetta in it, so if you are a meat-eater, there is your special protein! I would also consider using maybe arugula or swiss chard instead of spinach, just to mix up the flavor profile of the dish. Nevertheless, it was super delicious and very quick to make. I am sure that I will be making this again!

Made: 11/09/10
Posted: 01/30/11