Description
A simple lemon asparagus pasta that comes together in 20 minutes. Fresh herbs make the simple sauce sing & chickpeas are a thrifty protein!
Ingredients
- 450 grams pasta of choice
- 1 tbsp olive oil (more as desired)
- 2 cups chickpeas, drained (approx. 330 g)
- 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Pinch pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb asparagus, chopped*
- 225 g grape tomatoes, chopped (1 1/2 cup)*
- 2 small lemons, zested and juiced (or 1 large lemon, about 4-5 tbsp of juice)*
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup pasta water
- Pinch red chili flakes
- Handful of fresh chopped herbs*
*Fresh ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- Cook your pasta according to the package instructions and remember to reserve some of the pasta water before draining.
- Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a large saute pan over medium low heat. Add chickpeas and toss with smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Cook for about 3-5 minutes until browned.
- Add a dash more olive oil if needed and toss in the minced garlic. Allow the garlic to cook for about 1 minute.
- Add the chopped asparagus and tomatoes.
- Zest the lemon over the veggies as they cook and splash with lemon juice.
- Add the cooked pasta along with ¼ cup to ½ cup of the pasta water. (Feel free to add in more olive oil at this point if you would like the noodles more coated).
- Finish with chilli flakes and any fresh herbs you are adding. Chopped basil, oregano, thyme, dill, and/or chives are lovely choices. The asparagus should be tender after about 5 minutes. Give the pasta a taste and add more salt or pepper as needed.
- Remove from the heat and serve with my quick vegan parmesan cheese. My tofu feta would be another great addition to this recipe. Reheat leftovers or enjoy them as a cold pasta salad.
Notes
Approximate Cost: $12 Canadian. Using chickpeas cooked from scratch only costs me $0.40 for this recipe! In comparison, canned chickpeas would cost me $1.79 and an animal based protein source would very likely cost me over $5.
If you don’t have fresh herbs you can use dried or frozen herbs. Since this sauce is so simple it benefits from the aromatics and punchier flavour of the fresh herbs but it will still be nice with dried or frozen. You can also add in some spinach or another leafy green if you don’t have a good handful of fresh herbs.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
