Description
This creamy chickpea pasta sauce is a 30-minute pantry dinner packed with plant-based protein and fiber. High-protein, kid-friendly, and weeknight-ready.
Ingredients
Scale
For the pasta:
- 1 pound dry pasta of choice
- Salt, for pasta water
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup (125 g) diced onion (from 1/2 medium onion)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (250 g drained)
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain. Return the pasta to the pot, cover, and set aside to keep warm.
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 cup diced onion and 2 cloves chopped garlic and sauté for 5–7 minutes, until softened and fragrant.
- Simmer the chickpeas: Add 1 can of drained chickpeas and 1 cup broth. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Blend the sauce: Carefully transfer the chickpea mixture to a high-speed blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until silky smooth.
- Finish the sauce: Return the sauce to the pan. Stir in ½ cup cream or half-and-half and ½ cup of reserved pasta water. Warm over low heat, stirring, until smooth and heated through.
- Combine and serve: Pour the warm sauce over the pasta in the pot and toss gently to coat. Add more reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Notes
Nutrition calculated using half-and-half and salted pasta water. Nutrition reflects one (⅔ cup) serving of the sauce; pasta not included.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2/3 cup sauce
- Calories: 138
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 540 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 7 mg
