Cook This

“Little Ears” Pasta and Chickpeas Were Made for Each Other

Make this one-pan vegetarian dish in less than 30 minutes

All photos by author | no reuse without permission

Years ago I met someone who said that chickpeas look like “babies’ butts” … and I’ve never forgotten that.

OK, now that I’ve got that off my chest, let’s talk about today’s recipe. The pasta I used is orecchiette (pronounced ow·ray·kee·eh·tay), Italian for “little ears,” and yes, that cup shape is rather ear-like (if you use a bit of imagination). And, those cups are just the right size to hold a garbanzo bean (also known as chickpea). So, they belong together in one perfect dish, don’t you think?

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 4 cloves of garlic, slivered (you can use less; we like garlic)
• 1 15-ounce (425-gram) can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups dry orecchiette pasta
• 4 cups chicken stock, beef broth, or vegetable broth
• 2 cups (about 50 grams) of loosely packed spinach leaves (stems removed)
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Chickpeas and orecchiette brought to a boil in the broth

Instructions

1. Pour the olive oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften.
3. Stir in the garlic and the drained chickpeas. Continue to cook and stir until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Increase the heat to high. Add the dry pasta to the pan along with the 4 cups of broth. Stir the pasta so that it is spread in an even layer in the pan and is covered by the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
5. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente. My orecchiette was quite thick and so it took 11 minutes for it to be “toothy.”
6. Stir in the spinach leaves and pesto and continue to cook until the spinach is wilted.
7. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the fresh basil and serve. Garnish with Parmesan.

Fresh basil added to the pasta and chickpeas

I love making these one-pot meals. Simmering the pasta in broth rather than boiling it in water infuses every morsel with flavor and (bonus) the starch of the pasta thickens the broth to make a luscious sauce.

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Copyright©2024  Linda Lum (Facebook, Hub Pages, Pinterest) is a retired 
budget analyst for the Federal government, wife, mother, author, and
 lover of anything and everything to do with food history. 
Books: "Past and Present," "How Corned Beef Became Irish,” "Ask Carb Diva,"
"The Curious Case of the Pie Disguised as a Cake."