Chickpea Pasta with Tomato Sauce

This lovely recipe is largely based off of this recipe with some tweaks here and there to make it more to my own tastes. (And why not, I'm the one eating it!) It's a hearty, warm, easy recipe that's perfect for the winter months and a nice dose of veggies and legumes regardless of when you make it!

Chickpea Pasta with Tomato Sauce

(5 servings)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil, butter, or margarine*

1 cup of chopped carrot**

1 cup of chopped celery

1 cup of chopped onion

5 cloves of garlic (crushed or minced)

1 tablespoon of dried parsley (or to taste)

1 teaspoon of dried basil (or to taste)

1 teaspoon of dried oregano (or to taste)

Chili flakes (to taste)

1/2 cup of tomato paste

540ml / 18oz of canned chickpeas

5 cups of water

1 bay leaf

160g / 2 cups of penne rigate

Salt (to taste)

Parmesan (if desired)

*This dish is pretty easy to make vegan. If that's your goal, go with the olive oil or margarine!

**Chop the carrot more finely than the celery and onion as it will still be a little chewy in the final product if you don't.

Directions

1) Heat the olive oil or butter/margarine in a medium-large soup pot over high heat until hot, then sauté the carrot, celery, and onion until the onion is soft and translucent.

2) Reduce the heat to medium, throw in the garlic, herbs, and chili flakes, and continue sautéing until fragrant (1 or 2 minutes).

3) Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another couple of minutes.

4) Add the chickpeas, water, and bay leaf to the pot, bring everything to a boil, and then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 or 20 minutes.

5) Return the heat to medium, return the sauce to a boil, and then add your pasta of choice and cook until al dente. Taste everything after adding the pasta and adjust your seasonings accordingly.

6) Serve as is or with some baguette and/or a sprinkle of parmesan, and enjoy!