This dish was born out of a need to use up some veggies I had hanging around, namely, a tomato and some spinach. “But you don’t like tomatoes,” you might say. And you’d be right. I don’t mind them cooked mot of the time, but they have to be pretty well cooked. I had bought it for sandwiches and intended to use it, pan seared, in them, but I hated it in the first one. So, here it’s much more well cooked.
Pasta & Veggies with Roasted Chickpeas
12oz Whole Wheat Fusilli, cooked
1 Tomato
1/2 bunch of scallions
1/4 bell pepper
3 cups baby spinach
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
1.5 cups chickpeas
1/2 cup parsley leaves
1 lemon, juiced and zested
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
ground coriander
salt
black pepper
crushed red pepper flakes
1. Boil your water and get your pasta cooking.
2. Wash and drain chickpeas. Spray a non-stick pan with olive or canola oil, and slide the chickpeas in. Add a dash of ground coriander, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until everything else is done.
3. Chop and de-seed tomato (e.g., scoop the slimy stuff out). Add to a large saute pan with a spray of olive/canola oil. Stir frequently. When all tomato liquid is gone from the pan and it starts to stick, deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar.
4. Add chopped bell pepper, garlic and corn to pan. Deglaze pan again with balsamic when these veggies stick.
5. Add scallions, parsley and lemon zest/juice. Turn heat off if pasta is not yet ready.
6. When pasta is ready, drain and add to a large bowl (large enough to toss pasta and veggies). Add enough olive oil to keep pasta from sticking together.
7. Just before you’re ready to add the veggies to the pasta, add the spinach to the pan, stir around the pan. Spinach will cook very quickly.
8. Add veggies and the chick peas to the pasta, add a very light sprinkle of red pepper flakes (like, 1/8 teaspoon) and toss.
9. Can eat this warm or cold. Delicious either way!
