We recently made this delicious pesto pasta with casarecce-shaped chickpea pasta and it was a hit in our household! Chickpea pea pasta is relatively new to me, and I have to say, I love it! The texture is incredibly similar to whole wheat pasta, if not a little more on the firmer side (which is how I prefer my pasta). Chickpea pasta has a lot of healthy protein packed into it, and it’s quite delicious too. My kids did not even notice the swap! For the past few years, I have always opted for 100% whole wheat pasta, but I’m definitely adding chickpea pasta to my mealtime routine. This is the brand I used, and I highly recommend it.
If I had to choose a pasta sauce, it would be pesto! Because I am Italian, I obviously adore marinara sauce, but sometimes it can feel too sugary, acidic and heavy. Unfortunately, not everyone in my household likes pesto, but I still love to make it anyway. Pesto is very easy to make, and you can add various ingredients to it and it will still come out delicious. Here’s how I make it!
Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package of pasta
2 garlic cloves, minced
Handful of basil (about 6-8 leaves or 2 cups)
Olive oil
Pine nuts
Salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese
Lemon
Grape tomatoes
- Bring pot to a boil, cook pasta in salted water and drain. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, toast your pine nuts until browned.
- In your chopper or mixer, combine basil, olive oil, 1/2 of your pine nuts. Squeeze lemon. Blend until desired texture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Chop up grape tomatoes for garnish.
- Transfer your pasta to your serving bowl. Add the pesto mixture. Top it off with toasted pine nuts. Add tomatoes. Serve!
This pasta dish is easy and flavorful. You can adjust your ingredients so easily. For example, if you do not have pine nuts you can swap them for cashews (or nix the nuts altogether). I love adding lots of lemon, but you can adjust as needed. You really cannot go wrong!
