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Tomato and chickpea pasta: coat every piece

Make tomato and chickpea pasta for four, coordinate the cooking and loosen the sauce with a little pasta water just before bringing it to the table.

pastatomatochickpeaspantry
Tomato and chickpea pasta: coat every piece
Generated illustration.

With tinned tomatoes and already-cooked chickpeas, the sauce comes together while the pasta cooks. The finishing touch is to combine everything in the hot pan, adding a little cooking water if needed. That way, the pasta picks up the sauce as you mix. This recipe serves four.

servings
4
Preparation
10 min
Cooking
30 min
Rest
0 min

Steps

  1. Prepare the ingredients and water

    Peel and thinly slice the onion and garlic. Drain the chickpeas, rinse and let them drain again. Open the tomatoes. Heat the 3 litres of water in the large saucepan, covered until boiling.

  2. Build the sauce

    Heat the oil in the sauté pan over medium-low heat. Stir the onion in it for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds, then the tomatoes and oregano. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the chickpeas and heat for another 5 minutes.

  3. Watch the pasta as it cooks

    While the sauce simmers, salt the water to taste and add the pasta at a boil. Stir immediately, then follow the packet’s cooking time. Taste a piece to check the texture. Carefully reserve a cup of cooking water and drain the pasta without rinsing.

  4. Bring pasta and sauce together

    Add the pasta to the hot sauce and stir for about 1 minute over low heat. If the sauce is too thick, add a little reserved water. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, then serve straight away.

Pointers for success

  • A sauce reducing too quickly can wait over lower heat; a little reserved water will loosen it.
  • Allow 40 minutes in total with the cooking done in parallel and no resting time.

Substitutions and limits

  • A little dried thyme can replace the oregano.
  • For pasta made from different ingredients, follow its own cooking time and check allergens again.
  • To use dried chickpeas, prepare and cook them separately before starting this recipe.

Keep the sauce and pasta moving together

Start the sauce before the pasta: it can wait briefly over low heat, whereas drained pasta is less patient. Once the tomatoes simmer, start cooking the pasta following its packet. Small macaroni and large pasta shapes keep different schedules.

The 30-minute cooking estimate assumes cooking on two burners at once and includes some time to bring the water to the boil. A single burner or slower equipment changes the schedule. Weigh the chickpeas after draining: the liquid in the tin does not count towards the amount required.

Loosen the sauce without flooding it

Reserve a cup of water just before draining the pasta. Add it in small splashes, only to loosen the sauce and help it mix. Stop when the sauce coats the pasta: a pool at the bottom means you have gone too far.

Keep all the chickpeas whole as written, or crush a small portion into the sauce with the back of a spoon. This gives a thicker consistency without bringing out another appliance.

Leave the finishing touches until mealtime

Serve as soon as the pasta and sauce are combined. If preparing ahead, preferably leave cooking the pasta until you are ready to eat. The preparation planning guide covers food waiting to be served and leftovers.

Sources for this page

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