This pasta with chickpeas, olives, and cheese is the grown-up dish you didn’t know you were missing!
Make it with spaghetti or any other type of pasta, protein-rich chickpeas, savory olives, Fresh Parsley, and of course, cheese. This pasta and chickpeas recipe will work using either regular or vegan cheese. This recipe is not a take on Pasta e Ceci, since it does not have tomatoes or tomato sauce. Pasta e Ceci (pasta and chickpeas) is a classic Roman stew-like pasta dish made with ditalini swimming in tomato sauce. Simply enjoy it as an elevated weeknight dinner that may look fancy, but it's really easy to make.
This pasta dinner is a favorite in our house. When we were kids our mom made it for us using Israeli couscous, she omitted the olives, because while I (Vicky) love olives, but my two sisters don't! What do you think about this recipe? Leave us a comment below and let us know.
This pasta dinner is loaded with onions and garlic for flavor, olives to add more savory flavor and brine, parsley and oregano for that fresh herb flavor, and cheese for a creamy finish. You can also choose to add red pepper flakes for heat if you’d like! If you would like to make ahead, cook pasta and saute onions and garlic 1-2 days ahead and follow steps 3 & 4 in the cooking instructions before serving.
How to Add Protein to Vegetarian Pasta Dishes
This recipe uses canned chickpeas to add delicious plant-based protein to a pasta dish! It’s a quick weeknight dinner that’s filled with nutrition. Canned chickpeas are affordable and versatile, so we always keep them stocked in our pantry.
Tips On How to Cook Pasta
- Cook pasta in salty water. Always make sure you cook pasta in salty water about 2 tablespoons of salt for 8 cups of water. Salt will enhance the flavor of your pasta and it will make a big difference in how your final dish will taste. Don't worry all the salt will not get absorbed into the pasta.
- When to add salt to the water when cooking pasta? Once the water is boiling add the salt, make sure it comes to a boil again, and then add your pasta.
- How long should you cook pasta? follow the packaging instructions on how long to cook your pasta. The pasta box will usually give you a range following the lower number if you want your pasta al dente ( with a bite) and the higher number if you would like your pasta softer. We encourage you to try your pasta al dente and see how you like it.
- Pasta Cooking Water. Always save at least one cup or more of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta. Save any unused pasta water in the fridge in a tightly closed container or the freezer in an ice cube tray. The best way to remove the pasta water is carefully using a heat-proof glass measuring cup with a handle.
- Drain pasta, but never rinse it. If you rinse your pasta you will lose its delicious starch that helps the sauce stick to the pasta. You may add some olive oil to the cooked pasta to prevent it from sticking if you are not adding it to the pasta right away.
- Reheating pasta: If you have leftover pasta, re-heat it the next day on the stove adding some pasta water.
Gluten-Free Chickpea Pasta
To make a gluten-free version of this recipe, simply swap the type of pasta! There are many options available at most grocery stores in the pasta section, from chickpea pasta to edamame pasta to black bean pasta they are all delicious and they will give you a boost of plant-based protein. You can use vegan cheese to make this dish vegan as well! Here are a few of the high-protein bean pasta recipes we love:
- High-Protein Pasta Puttanesca
- Vegan Lasagna Soup
- 20-Minute High-Protein Lemon Pasta
- High-Protein Caprese Pasta Salad
- Vegetable Pasta
- High-Protein Singapore Noodles
- High-Protein Minestrone Soup
- High Protein Easy Mushroom Pasta
- Hugh Protein 15 minutes Vegetable Lo-Mein
More Vegetarian Pasta Recipes
- Easy Rigatoni with Lentil Bolognese
- Mushroom & Veggie Sausage Pasta
- Pumpkin Pasta
- Pea & Artichoke Pasta
- Spaghetti & Vegan Meatballs
- Penne Pasta with Vegan Cauliflower & Walnut Kale Pesto
DID YOU LIKE OUR PASTA WITH CHICKPEAS RECIPE?
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
Pasta with Chickpeas, Olives, and Cheese
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This pasta with chickpeas, olives, and cheese is the grown-up healthier mac and cheese you didn’t know you were missing!
Ingredients
- 1 lb uncooked spaghetti or other pasta of your choice
- 2 large Spanish onions, sliced
- 5 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼-½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tsp dry oregano
- ¼-½ red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper ( optional)
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 5 oz cheese (cheddar, muenster, gouda, vegan cheese, etc), diced (about 1 cup)
- 1-15oz can of chick peas, rinsed and drained
- 12 pitted kalamata olives, sliced
- Parmesan cheese or pecorino romanp to top the pasta once plated (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salt water until al dente, according to directions on the package. Save about 1 cup of the cooking water and set it aside. Drain the pasta without rinsing it, and set it aside
- While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet. Sauté the onions and garlic for about 15 minutes, or until the onions soften and turn slightly golden. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes, if using
- Add about ¾ of the cooked pasta, the cheese, chickpeas, olives, and about ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Cook over medium-low heat until the cheese is melted, tossing frequently. Add more pasta water if you feel the pasta is looking dry ( See note #1)
- Turn off the heat, taste and adjust seasoning, garnish with some shaved or grated parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Notes
- Save the other ¼ of the cooked pasta and use it with your favorite sauce. Store it in the the refrigerator in a tightly-closed container.
- If you have leftover pasta and chickpeas, re-heat it the next day on the stove adding some of the pasta water.
- To make ahead, cook the pasta and saute onions and garlic 1-2 days ahead. and follow steps 3 & 4 above before serving.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ¼ cups
- Calories: 438
- Sugar: 5.6
- Sodium: 399
- Fat: 15.3
- Saturated Fat: 5.5
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 59.2
- Fiber: 6.1
- Protein: 16.8
- Cholesterol: 0
Fay
I tried this for dinner last night and it was delicous!!! Thanks sooo much for the recipe!
Kelly Shore
i made this for eric and me last night and it was great - love the chick peas! and i used whole wheat elbow pasta. i wanted to use soy cheese but eric just wouldn't do that but i still felt good that it was so healthy and delicous!
mayihavethatrecipe
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Have you tried Daiya soy cheese? They sell it at whole foods and is the best one I have tried yet!
Paula Zevin
This is a simple, easy to make and delicious dish, and you did well to bring it back right now. I have an olive hater in the house, so I'd adapt this to add olives as a garnish to one of the finished plates only. Even if the dish loses the added brininess of olives. A note: if you have hungry pasta lovers in the house, it is fine to boil an entire pound of pasta and save 1/4 for later. But for smaller households, why not just prepare 3/4 of a package, eyeball it and have no concerns about what to do with the extra? Love the tip about saving more pasta water, it helps when you forget to save some the next time you cook a potful.
Vicky & Ruth
Great suggestion! Thank you Paula!
Cindy
Easy and delicious; my favorite kind of recipe and meal!!