Spinach Pasta with garbanzo beans tossed with a delightful garlic rosemary sauce is a quick and satisfying dinner recipe. Red pepper flakes liven the flavor and Parmesan cheese brings it all together. And it’s ready in 30 Minutes!
About This Recipe and Why It Works
If you’re a regular reader, you know how much I love to recreate restaurant meals in my own kitchen. Here’s my latest adventure. So easy, this was a cinch to make at home.
A few months ago, I had a fantastic spinach linguine pasta dish at a local restaurant and I promised myself to make it at home. Prying a few details out of the waiter and I felt fairly comfortable.
And what family doesn’t love having a spaghetti night. And what cook doesn’t love a recipe that’s ready in under 30 minutes? Que this pasta and chickpeas recipe.
This pasta and chickpeas (garbanzo beans) recipe is so easy, you’ll want to add it to your weeknight meal rotation. It takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish to plate.
And as far as pasta dishes go, this is about as healthy as you can get. And it’s a super-easy pasta dinner recipe, ready in 30 minutes.
Spinach linguine, or any type of spinach pasta brings a luscious color to the plate, and the chickpeas which are mild in flavor, add a nice crunch of texture.
The garlic rosemary sauce finishes the meal with a blast of irresistible personality.
Let’s take a look
Ingredients For Pasta with Garbanzo Beans
Mise en place. Always gather ingredients before starting any recipe. It will save you time and organize your mind.
- Spinach Linguine
- Olive Oil: Simply use what you have on hand. Since you’re using the oil to sautee, the quality factor isn’t as important as if you were making a delicate vinaigrette. I always keep a high quality extra virgin olive oil on hand for dressings or vinaigrettes. And a large bottle from Costco for sauteeing.
- Garlic Cloves: You’ll need 6 cloves of garlic for this recipe. Please don’t use a garlic press. Fine chopping garlic keeps the flavor sweet and milder. A garlic press presses the oil out of the garlic and gives it a much stronger flavor.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Friends don’t let friends make pasta dishes without a few sprinkles of red pepper flakes. The pizzaz it brings is irresistible.
- Fresh Rosemary: The backbone of this garlic rosemary sauce. Fresh is best.
- Flat Leaf Parsley: Flat leaf parsley is always my choice for cooking. It has a more robust parsley flavor.
- Chickpeas: I love buying dried Colorado chickpeas from my local farmer’s market. They’re absolutely marvelous to make homemade hummus. Fresh dried chickpeas require the soaking and long cook routine. to keep this recipe weeknight easy friendly, canned garbanzo beans is my choice. Drained and rinsed.
- Parmesan Cheese: Always buy a wedge of good quality parmesan cheese please. The flavor will always be superior from those pre-grated containers.
Ingredient Swaps
- Pasta: If you don’t have spinach linguine, you can use regular spaghetti or fettuccini. You’ll just be losing some of that colorful personality. Fettuccini noodles also work well for this recipe.
- Rosemary: If you don’t have fresh rosemary you can use dried. The general rule for swapping dried herbs for fresh is to use 1/3 of the amount called for in the recipe. If the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of fresh, then use 1 teaspoon of dried. There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon.
How to Make Pasta with Garbanzo Beans
Cook Pasta According To Package Directions and then proceed by making the sauce. Save 1/2 cup of the water that the pasta has cooked in before draining.
The garlicy smooth sauce is one of those that somewhat makes itself.
- Step 1: Heat olive oil in a fry pan add fresh or dried rosemary and fresh parsley. Sautee until fragrant.
- Step 2: Add in the finely chopped garlic and red pepper flakes and sautee for about a minute over medium heat, stirring occasionally, and until garlic is fragrant.
Step 3: Add the chickpeas to the herb and spice mixture, along with 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water. (the water the pasta has cooked in). Cook for three minutes.
Step 4: Stir in the drained pasta. Using tongs, mix together and serve immediately topped with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.
FAQs and Expert Tips
Don’t toss out all of that pasta water. It’s liquid gold. It’s a must to add to any sauce for any pasta dish. It’s high in starch and this salty starchy water helps the sauce cling to the pasta and it helps thicken the sauce. It turns any pasta dish into a luxurious pasta dish.
I learned in Culinary School that curly parsley is mostly used in the restaurant industry to decorate a plate. Its flavor has been described as “grassy”. Use Italian Flat Leaf Parsley. And regarding dried parsley? I’ve got some in the pantry and I think it’s pretty much flavorless. I will sometimes use it to sprinkle on a sauced dish simply to make the presentation more interesting.
As you can see in the photo above, I’ve added sauteed Chicken breast to this Pasta with Garbanzo recipe. Simply cut boneless, skinless chicken breast in bite sized pieces and add to the hot olive oil. Cook about 5 minutes or until the pink has just started to go away. Then proceed with the recipe.
There is no difference between chickpeas and garbanzo beans. We’ve simply ended up with two names for the same legume because Garbanzo is the Spanish term and Chickpeas is the common English term.
Yes, but you’ll have to start the day before. Soak 1/2 cup of dried garbanzo beans in enough water to cover the beans by a few inches. Soak for 12 hours or overnight. Then drain the water, add new water enough to cover by a few inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 2 hours or until garbanzo beans are tender. Drain and continue with recipe.
Recipe for Pasta with Garbanzo Beans
All this pasta dish needs is a beautiful fresh green salad as a side dish, and you’re in business.
I hope you give this easy weeknight pasta recipe a try and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. And leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.
And if you have a favorite easy pasta and chickpeas dish, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
More Easy Pasta Dinner Recipes
- Angel Hair Pasta with Asparagus and Lemon Cream Sauce simple and packed with amazing flavor. A wonderful way to enjoy your favorite spring ingredients.
- Instant Pot Chicken and Chipotle Mac and Cheese: Extra creamy with a special old-fashioned ingredient and cheesy with Pepper Jack and Velveeta. With just a five minute pressure cook in the Instant Pot, this is such an easy one pot meal.
And if you’re looking for even more pasta recipes, don’t miss my Pasta Category. You’ll find lots of great ideas, including the most popular pasta recipe on my site for Spicy Creamy Shrimp Pasta.
Spinach Pasta with Garbanzo Beans in Garlic Rosemary Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound Spinach Linguine or plain fettuccini.
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary finely chopped. Or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary.
- 1 tablespoon Italian flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 14 ounce Garbanzo Beans canned, drained and rinsed (or chickpeas)
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook pasta a pot of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente . About 8 – 10 minutes. Reserve one cup cooking water then drain.
- While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. (Add chicken pieces here if using) See instructions in the notes section.
- Once the oil is hot, turn down the heat to medium low. Add the parsley and rosemary until fragrant. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and cook for about a minute or until garlic is fragrant.
- Add chickpeas and cook for another 3 minutes. Add reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time until sauce is desired consistency.
- Add the cooked pasta and toss well.
- Garnish with plenty of fresh grated Parmesan Cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Pasta with Garbanzo Beans Recipe … It’s What’s for Dinner.
This recipe was first published in 2013 and updated with step by step instructions, April 2021
