Creamy Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes & Chickpeas

Creamy Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes & Chickpeas

Creamy vegan cashew sauce, sweet sun-dried tomatoes and buttery chickpeas wrapped up in organic spaghetti pasta. This wholesome dish is a perfect hearty plant-based meal to fill the family’s bellies and feed the soul.

The humble chickpea is a healthy, delicious and protein-packed legume, not to mention super versatile. Sourcing your chickpeas dried is far more economical too. Just like any other dried bean, chickpeas need to be soaked for 8-12 hours before cooking. Once cooked chickpeas can be added to an array of different dishes and even frozen for up to 6 months. Soaking and cooking dried chickpeas gives them a much nice, nuttier flavour and buttery texture. For this recipe, the soaked chickpeas have been cooked in vegetable stock adding even more depth of flavour to this little golden legume.

 

Dietary: Vegetarian / Vegan

Makes: 4 servings | Total time: 45 mins-1 hour (excludes soaking time)

 

Ingredients

 

CHICKPEAS:

100g dried chickpeas

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 Tablespoon vegetable stock powder water

CREAMY CASHEW SAUCE:

200g natural cashew nuts

1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes

1 Tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon paprika

1 large clove garlic ½ cup plant milk generous pinch flaky sea salt black pepper, ground

VEGGIES:

100g organic sun-dried tomatoes 50g baby spinach leaves

PASTA:

250g organic Spaghetti Pasta

pasta water

Generous pinch flaky sea salt

CHILLI-HERB CRUMB:

70g panko crumb

1 large clove garlic

½-1 teaspoon crushed chillies

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 ½ Tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes black pepper, ground

Generous pinch flaky sea salt organic extra virgin olive oil fresh lemon wedge to serve      

 

Method

  1. In two separate jars cover both dried chickpeas and cashew nuts with cold water, adding 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the chickpeas. Cover and set aside to soak for 12 hours.

  2. Drain chickpeas and rinse then add to a small pot with vegetable stock and cover with water. Bring to gentle simmer and cook, partially covered for 45 minutes – 1 hour until chickpeas are tender.

  3. Meanwhile to make the creamy cashew sauce, drain the cashew nuts and add to a food processor with all remaining sauce ingredients. Blend until a smooth and creamy consistency is reached.

  4. Place the sundried tomatoes in a small dish and cover with boiling water to rehydrate. Once juicy and plump slice into thin strips.

  5. To make the chilli-herb crumb, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan and sauté garlic until fragrant. Add Panko breadcrumbs, crushed chilli, herbs and nutritional yeast flakes. Toast until golden and crispy. Season generously with flaky sea salt and ground black pepper. Set aside ready for serving.

  6. Bring a large pot of water with a pinch of salt to the boil. Cook Fettuccine pasta for 11 minutes until al dente.

  7. When the pasta is nearly ready, heat a large pan with a drizzle of olive oil on a medium heat. Using tongs transfer cooked pasta to the heated pan ensuing you also transfer a little bit of pasta water. Turn the pan off and add drained chickpeas, sundried tomatoes and baby spinach leaves. Spoon over cashew cream and mix until everything is evenly coated.

  8. Serve topped with chilli-herb crumb and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

 

 

Recipe, styling, photography by Lena Fischer

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