Description
A flavorful chickpea pasta dish enriched with spinach, lemon, and za’atar spice.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided (45 ml)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon miso paste, ensure gluten free if needed (optional)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest + 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (30 ml), divided
- 1 can (15 oz | 400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 3/4 cup vegetable stock (420ml)
- 10 oz dried gluten free casarecce, or pasta of your choice (280 g)
- 2 cups spinach, (60 g)
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped (15 g)
- 2 teaspoons za’atar spice
- Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pan or cast iron skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and warm over a medium-high heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt. Sauté until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Reduce to a medium heat. Add the minced garlic, ground cumin, thyme, and miso paste (if using). Sauté for 1 minute, stirring the whole time.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, along with the chickpeas, lemon zest and sugar. Fry 5-8 minutes until the chickpeas start to brown and crisp up.
- Add the stock and lemon juice to the pan. Mix well and bring to a simmer. Let simmer about 8-10 minutes until the pasta sauce has reduced into a thicker consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- While the sauce is simmering, boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water. Cook according to package instructions for your particular pasta. You ideally want to cook until al dente (springy and chewy, not mushy). Drain and set aside until needed.
- Once the sauce has reduced enough, turn off the stove and remove the pan from the heat. Add the drained pasta along with the spinach, parsley and za’atar spice to the pan. Mix until fully combined. The residual heat of the pan should be enough to wilt the spinach.
- Taste and season with more lemon juice, zest, salt, pepper, etc as you see fit and enjoy.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Notes
- This recipe can be made gluten-free by ensuring the ingredients are marked as gluten-free.
- Feel free to add other veggies as desired.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 55g
- Fiber: 15g
- Protein: 15g
- Cholesterol: 0mg