Today is going to be a good day.
The sun is shining, making for long walks and short (camera) exposures. Two current necessities of mine, if not favorites.
Grandpa watched the kids this morning, allowing me to do a much needed scrub down of my bathroom. Yes, I have a clean bathroom people! I recommend getting over here and eating pie in the bathtub. Just a suggestion.
There are brownies in the oven. Not just brownies. Caramel brownies. I might die just looking at them. You can see them sometime in the next couple weeks, or now if you follow me on Instagram @theliveinkitchen. Please don’t die just looking at them.
We’re having friends over tonight and grilling out. In March! I found out this week I’m just slightly anemic, so I can’t wait to face plant into a giant hamburger.
I hope you, too, are having a good day. If you’re not, then here’s another way to make it awesome. Pasta covers all wounds. I love the hearty texture that the chickpeas give this sauce. It clings to the pasta and sticks to your ribs.
I had to tone down the heat in this recipe a little bit because of the sensitive palates in my house, but if I were making it myself I would bump the red pepper flakes up to ½ teaspoon or beyond.
This meal is comforting, fresh, and fast, fast, fast! You can literally make it in the time it takes to cook the pasta. Perfect for those not-so-great days. But let’s not have any of those.
Recipe
Spaghetti alla Ceci
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 garlic cloves,, finely chopped
- 14 ounces canned chickpeas, (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and black pepper
- ½ cup dry white wine or chicken stock
- 1 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley,, chopped
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Place the chickpeas in a food processor and pulse to a fine chop. Set aside.
- While the spaghetti cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chickpeas and season them with the thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the wine or stock and cook down for 30 seconds or so, then stir in the tomatoes. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Top the pasta with parsley and grated cheese.
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