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–+ servings

Spaghetti with Crispy Chickpeas

Creamy tomato spaghetti gets an incredible upgrade with the addition of crispy pan fried herby chickpeas! You'll love the contrast of the sweet cherry tomato cream sauce against the smoky, herby chickpeas in this vegetarian pasta dinner, a similar effect to toasted breadcrumbs but with protein!
4 large servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
5 from 1 rating
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Ingredients

  • 350 g (12 oz) spaghetti
  • 450 g (3 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 small red onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 tsp Italian herb mix
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 80 g (⅓ cup) cream cheese, full fat
  • 80 g (¾ cup) parmesan, grated, plus more for topping
  • 1 bunch basil, chopped

Chickpeas

  • 400 g (14 oz) can of chickpeas, drained
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • Zest of 1/2 lemon
  • squeeze of lemon juice, for serving

Instructions 

We'll make the sauce first.

  • Saute the onion in a little olive oil until soft.
    1 small red onion
  • Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, cherry tomatoes and balsamic vinegar to the pan. Cook until the tomatoes are starting to release their juices and break down. Add salt and pepper to taste.
    450 g cherry tomatoes, 4 cloves garlic, 2 tsp Italian herb mix, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper
  • Add the cream cheese and parmesan to the pan, and allow to melt in and form a sauce. It will seem thick - this is fine - we will add pasta cooking water later if we need to.
    80 g cream cheese, 80 g parmesan
  • Remove from the heat, cover and get the pasta cooking.
    350 g spaghetti

While the pasta is cooking, we will make the chickpeas.

  • Heat a layer of olive oil over a low-medium heat in a frying pan. Add the chickpeas and allow to sit for a few minutes undisturbed, until they are lightly browned on the bottom.
    400 g can of chickpeas
  • Then use a spatula to mix them up, adding the fennel seeds, sage, smoked paprika and Italian seasoning. Cook just until the spices are all fragrant, then turn the heat off and mix the lemon zest through.
    2 tsp fennel seeds, 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp dried sage, Zest of 1/2 lemon
  • Pour the chickpeas into a bowl until it's time to serve.

Once the spaghetti is cooked, it's go time!

  • Drain the spaghetti when it's ready, reserving a mug of cooking water first. Toss the spaghetti with the cherry tomato sauce and basil, and use a few splashes of the cooking water if needed to loosen the sauce up, until the pasta is well coated.
    1 bunch basil
  • Serve the spaghetti into bowls and top with the chickpeas, a squeeze of lemon juice and some extra cheese if desired.
    squeeze of lemon juice
Calories: 680kcal, Carbohydrates: 105g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 408mg, Potassium: 888mg, Fiber: 13g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 1374IU, Vitamin C: 31mg, Calcium: 396mg, Iron: 6mg