When I posted about the benefits of garlic, I was in search for garlic-y recipes that were healthy and different.
Luckily, at about the same time, my sister sent me this recipe she got from a friend. This really worked for me, and while it has a lot of garlic (4 cloves) you can tone it down if you want less of a garlic blast and you will still have a healthier, wholesome change from pasta alfredo.
The chick peas give extra protein and less fat, so it’s a great switch from the fatty cheese of alfredo sauce.
This was also great warmed over the next day.
A chick pea sauce turns this pasta into a filling, low fat, high protein meal
Ingredients:
2 tsp Olive oil (extra virgin, organic if possible)
2 garlic cloves, peeled (let it rest for 10 min) and crushed
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 (15 oz) can garbonzo beans (chick peas) drained and rinsed
1 (14 oz) can vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups (about 6 oz) uncooked medium pasta shells…try not to use whilte pasta as it is not as healthy …rice, corn, or whole wheat is a better choice if you have it
1/2 cup halved grape tomoatos
1 cup of sliced portabella mushrooms sauted in cooking spray coated pan for 5 minutes (optional)
2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
1 tBs minced fresh parsley
1 tBs fresh lemon juice
3 tBs shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (sub out grated soy cheese for vegan)
Directions:
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add crushed garlic and saute 1 minute. Add salt, pepper, chickpeas, and broth and bring to a boil.
- Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes
- While that simmers, cook pasta in boiling water (leave out the salt in the water) for 9 minutes and drain well
- Place chickpea mixture in a food processor (or good blender) and process until smooth.
- Combine chickpea misture, pasta, tomatoes, mushrooms (if chosen) minced garlic, fresh parsley, and lemon juice. Toss well.
- Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately
4 servings: cal: 333, fat: 9g, iron: 3.3 mg, protein: 13.6g, fiber 6.6g
Categories: cooking, healthy cooking, healthy recipes, nutrition, vegetarian recipes
The Savvy Sister 
I am gonna try this recipe but after reading your articles on soybeans I am gonna have to attempt to find a substitute for my substitute cheese…not happy about it but oh well, knowing is half the battle….thank you for sharing!
Soy is going to be one of those subjects debated until the end of time I’m afraid. Can I assume you live in the US? the US dairy Council is one of the most powerful entities in the world and they brainwash us into thinking that “humans need dairy” to survive.
Moderation of processed soy is the key (so Buddha tells me)but it’s hard to moderate when virtually everything has processed soy in it.
For this recipe you really don’t need the cheese.
Thanks so much for your comment!
Superb looking recipe! And as I recently discovered, the chickpea/pasta combo (which I’d never previously considered) is a real winner. A friend introduced me to a recipe that added a generous amount of freshly-chopped rosemary to them, and with the gorgeous flavours of garlic it’s hard to imagine a poor evening with this laid on the table!
Chickpeas are so versatile! And did you know that chickpeas have more zinc, (an important mineral not found in many non-animals sources), than beef.
The rosemary sounds wonderful. Please pass on any recipes that you think my reader would enjoy and thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
Oops…I am not good with the little smiles … I didn’t learn yet to use them eh eh 🙂
Eh eh…Ciao Sister :o) Thanks for your nice visit :o) How do I cook Pasta’? Easier to say how I don’t cook it…I don’t overcook it :o)) So…waiting for you for a Friendly Pasta Cook Competition :o) lol Anyway I am curios to taste yours :o)
I love Pasta but are you sure that you can cook it properly? I am Italian 😉
Thanks for sharing 🙂
LOL! My grandfather was born in Livorno, so I may know a little bit about pasta. 🙂 These days I am cooking more rice and whole wheat pasta to get away from the starchy unhealthy “white” foods like white rice, white potatoes, and white breads.
How do you cook it?
Thank you for sharing a great recipe like this (and yes, I happen to be a pasta fan).
Please let me know what you think!
I use garlic in everything…. stumbled here. enjoying your blog. its cool that you put the calories, fat etc. at the bottom of your post 🙂
Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to comment! I love garlic to and now that I know how good it is for you, I’m eating more and more!
Lovely recipe! I kept searching for basil, but I guess this one doesn’t call for basil, I guess. I was happy to see that the ingredients are easy to get in Jakarta and they are cheap! Cheese is very expensive here, so garbanzo beans are great alternative!! Thanks for the recipe!
Please let me know how you and your family like it! thanks!
That looks tasty. I like chick peas with curry chicken, too.
Curry and chick peas are a great combo!
This sounds absolutely delicious! Was the taste very garlic-y? I love garlic but not too much or it repeats on me! Was the flavour of it strong or mild?
I love garlic, but even I thought it was pretty garlic-y. I used large cloves, so maybe that was it, but I would probably omit one(or both in your case) of the minced garlic cloves(raw) to tone down the flavor. It’s the raw garlic that usually repeats…the sauteed is gentler.
(and then grab some breath mints…)