I love a good, ripe tomato. I wait ALL YEAR for tomato season because honestly, store bought tomatoes that are grown out of season and usually very far away from me, don’t taste as great as the real deal. So when tomato season hits, I tend to overdo it. I buy #ALLTHETOMATOES. So what do you do when you have so many tomatoes? You make Triple Tomato Pasta with Chickpeas, of course.
This recipe is modified from a recipe that my friend Gracy once shared in a newsletter. It’s from Smitten Kitchen and when I first made it, I didn’t pat attention to the entire recipe directions, so I made it wrong. Plus I added some more tomatoes because, well, I had a lot of tomatoes.
Anyway, the recipe I created tasted so delicious I decided to stick with it, but you can check out the original here.
This simple little recipe is now a staple in my summer kitchen.
It’s quick, easy, and uses up all of the tomatoes you haven’t gotten around to yet.
You’re welcome.
Triple Tomato Pasta with Chickpeas
Serves 3 or 4 people, depending on how big your bowl is
Ingredients~
3 cups of pasta shells (for bonus protein, I use these)
1 Tbs olive oil
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (chopped smaller if they’re very large)
1 1/2 cups of chickpeas with cooking liquid reserved (or 1 can of chickpeas)*
2 1/2 cups tomatoes, cut into chunks (keep as much of the juice as you can)
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered if larger (keep as much of the juice as you can)
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes, optional
Directions~
Make your pasta first. When it’s soft, but still firm (aka “al dente”), remove from heat, drain, and rinse under cool water to stop cooking. Then set aside until the tomatoes are ready.
In a large pot (can be the same one you cooked your pasta in), heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add in the garlic, sauteeing for about a minute before adding in the sundried tomatoes. Stir well, making sure neither burns. If you’re using red pepper flakes, this is the best time to add them: while the garlic is sizzling!
Then add in the chickpeas. Cook for a few minutes until the chickpeas start to look a bit more golden brown. This will require more constant attention so that the chickpeas don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. You can add some of the chickpea water if you still have some to keep the pot wet.
Next, add in your tomatoes. Stir everything really well. If there’s not much tomato juice, you can add in some of the reserved chickpea liquid. I promise it’s not gross. And you want just enough to keep everything juicy and not burning.
Finally, add in your pasta shells, cooking just enough to warm them up.
Salt and pepper to taste.
And if you’re like my husband, you’ll want some vegan mozzarella on top. I like mine without. Both ways are delicious.
Eat up and enjoy!
*Ok, so what’s the deal with chickpea liquid? So if you’re making chickpeas from scratch which I like to do, you’ll have some liquid leftover. Some people call it aquafaba. No matter what you call it, you can use this liquid to add a little more flavor and sauce to your pasta. Even if you’re using canned chickpeas, there’s aquafaba in there, just not quite as much. Either way, keep the chickpea liquid and put it to good use in this recipe!
