The easiest recipe for Tomato Chickpea Pasta! Perfect for a weeknight dinner or date night at home. Chickpea pasta has more fibre and protein than traditional pasta, plus I’ll show you a few tricks to make sure it tastes extra delicious.
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Ingredients + Substitutions
A few important notes on some of the ingredients used in this Easy Tomato Chickpea Pasta recipe:
Chickpea Pasta: Chickpea pasta is a naturally gluten-free pasta choice. I’m not celiac, but I still love it. Why? It contains more protein, fiber, and iron than regular pasta. And it produces lower emissions so it's more eco-friendly, too. Overall, I’d call that a win-win.
Pictured here are Chickapea Pasta Spirals. We also like Banza Rotini.
Salt: So, so important to salt your pasta water properly. See more below in “How to Make Chickpea Pasta Taste Good.”
Pasta Sauce: I like to use either my homemade Creamy Garlic Tomato Sauce or Tomato Sauce with 30 Garlic Cloves. Another flavourful and even more veggie-packed option is Eritrean Silsi Tomato Sauce. If you use a storebought sauce, try to find one without added thickeners. My favourite is Rao’s Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce.
Parmesan Cheese: Use the real stuff (parmigiano reggiano) that comes in wedges, for the best flavour. A great alternative to parmesan cheese is grana padano. Tastes similar and also boasts a long history and tradition, but usually cheaper than parmesan.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Chickpea Pasta Taste Good
Chickpea pasta may be healthier than regular pasta, but it doesn’t always taste as delicious. Here are my tips and tricks to make chickpea pasta taste good:
- Use a flavourful sauce: A savoury umami-packed tomato sauce like arrabbiata, bolognese, or sundried tomato pesto. My favourite sauce recently is this Creamy Garlic Tomato Sauce.
- Set a timer: Chickpea pasta is more prone to overcooking than regular pasta.
- Salt, salt, salt: Just like regular pasta, it’s so important to make sure your pasta water is salty enough. I recommend 1 cup of water + ½ teaspoon salt, per ounce of dry chickpea pasta. See this in-depth guide for more deets on salting pasta.
Variations
- Add protein: In a separate skillet, sauté some Velveted Chicken Breast, crumbled Italian sausage, or tofu, then add it to the pasta sauce.
- Add veggies: Stir in some veggies like broccoli, spinach, or kale during the last three minutes of the pasta boiling. Then drain them together with the pasta and toss in the sauce.
- Put an egg on it: Slide a sunny side up fried egg over top of the cooked pasta.
Storage
Tomato chickpea pasta is great for meal prep! I find that leftover chickpea pasta doesn’t get soft and mushy like regular pasta, even if you store it with the sauce.
Fridge: Store leftover chickpea pasta in the fridge for up to four days.
Freeze: Freeze tomato chickpea pasta in the fridge for up to four months. It’s best to let the pasta thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheating: The best method is to reheat cooked tomato chickpea pasta in the microwave. (I recommend using a microwave lid to reduce smells and splatter.)
More Garlicky Recipe Ideas
Looking for other easy and delicious recipes? Try these:
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating or comment below to give me feedback and help out other readers.
Recipe Card
Easy Tomato Chickpea Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 cup your favourite pasta sauce I used my homemade creamy garlic tomato sauce
- 3 to 4 ounces dry chickpea pasta such as Banza or Chickapea
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup grated parmesan or grana padano cheese
Instructions
- Add 3 to 4 ounces dry chickpea pasta, 3 cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt to a stockpot. Cover and bring to a simmer over high heat.
- As soon as the water starts to bubble, take off the lid (to prevent the pasta from boiling over). Simmer for 9 minutes, stirring every few minutes to avoid foaming over.
- Optional: Add a handful of spinach or broccoli in the last few minutes of cooking.
- Drain the cooked pasta and vegetables, then return to the pot. Pour over 1 cup your favourite pasta sauce.
- Top with ¼ cup grated parmesan or grana padano cheese and serve.
Nancy says
I've tried so many recipes for my Banza pasta, and this one is by far the best! My family absolutely loved it and they don't usually care for chickpea pasta.
Kelly Zhang says
I'm so glad to hear that Nancy!