Having a vegetarian in the family has allowed me the opportunity to explore and hone all kinds of new recipes. Pasta is one of Ashlie’s favorite foods, so I like to prepare it as often as I can, always looking for ways to add protein wherever I can. I found this recipe in the New York Times Cooking section, tweaked it, and made it my own. It has now become one of our favorites. I have been caught scraping the bottom of the serving dish and devouring the scraps left on the bottom…it’s that good!
click to printIngredients:
This recipe serves 2-3 people so double it as needed.
- 8 ounces regular or whole-wheat fusilli or other short, sturdy pasta
- 2 cups canned chickpeas, drained
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water
- 3 cups fresh parsley leaves (from 1 large bunch)
- 2/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
- Ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add fusilli and cook until it is just shy of al dente. (It should be slightly underdone to your taste because you’ll finish cooking it in the sauce.) Drain well.
- Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add garlic cloves and fry until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in onions, rosemary, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Then stir in chickpeas and stock or water. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in pasta and parsley, and cook until the pasta has finished cooking and is coated in the sauce, 1 to 2 minutes. Quickly toss in cheese, butter, lemon zest, black pepper to taste and salt if needed. Drizzle with olive oil and shower with additional cheese before serving.
*NOTE: you can make this vegan by substituting the cheese for vegan parmesan and the butter for ghee.
