Vegan Chickpea Pasta Sauce
It should come as no surprise that I love chickpeas. It's also no surprise that when people think of chickpeas, they either think of hummus or the straight up bean. I used to be one of these people.
Interning for CHIQS has opened up my eyes to way more possibilities for the tiny ingredient - and for any ingredient, really. Cauliflower, kale, tofu, zucchini....I've been adventuring with all of them. So when it comes to chickpeas, what I think of now is a food that is creamy and rich, yet packed with nutrients - exactly the kind of ingredient I love making a sauce out of.
I adapted the recipe slightly from this one in order to make a creamier sauce. Instead of the water used to cook the chickpeas/chicken broth, I used a can of coconut milk instead. The amount really depends on how thick or thin you want your sauce to be, but I'd say no more than one 13.5 oz can.
To make it easier (and I mean really, really easy) I used canned chickpeas rather than dried. Check out the original recipe if you want to take a stab at using the dried kind.
Ingredients (serves two)
1 can of chickpeas
1 can coconut milk
2 cloves garlic
1/4 of an onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 sprig of rosemary
A dash of salt and pepper
1/2 pound of pasta
Other add-ins are as desired. My choices were diced tomato, kale, and a couple slices of avocado on top. The avocado was killer with this sauce so I'd definitely suggest it chopped and mixed throughout the dish rather than simply on top.
To Make the Sauce
Chop your onion, garlic, and add-in ingredients that need to be cooked. Sautee in a pan with olive oil.
Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, and rosemary to the blender.
Blend and watch the magic happen!
To finish off, heat up the chickpea blend in the pan with your sauteed ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste. Seriously, it's that easy.
Eat, clean, and repeat!
Just a note: I'm not quite sure how this sauce keeps up in the fridge, as I generally cook for two. If anyone tries this recipe and stores it in the fridge or freezer, let us know how it keeps by commenting!
