Chickpea and Spinach Pasta with Lemon

• 4 tbspolive oil
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 4garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tspchilli flakes
• 2 x 400gtins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 260gspinach
• 1lemon, zest and juice
• 20gflat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• fine salt
• black pepper
• 350grigatoni
• 50gParmesan or vegetarian Italian hard cheese, finely grated

Method

1. 1Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Cook the rigatoni for 1 minute less than the packet says, about 10 minutes, until just short of tender. Scoop out a large mug of the cooking water before you drain it; the sauce depends on it.
2. 2While the pasta cooks, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in your largest frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the onion with a pinch of salt for 6 minutes until soft and translucent, then add the garlic and chilli flakes for 1 minute until the garlic smells sweet but has not coloured.
3. 3Tip in the chickpeas, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes until they start to catch and brown at the edges. Crush about half of them with a potato masher or the back of a fork and leave the rest whole. The crushed ones thicken the sauce; the whole ones give you something to bite.
4. 4Add the spinach in big handfuls with a splash of the pasta water, turning it with tongs for 2 minutes until wilted and dark green.
5. 5Add the drained pasta, the lemon zest, half the Parmesan and about 150ml of the pasta water. Toss over the heat for 1 to 2 minutes until the starchy water and cheese turn into a loose, glossy sauce that clings to the pasta. Add more water if it looks tight.
6. 6Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice, the parsley and the last tablespoon of olive oil. Taste: it needs enough salt to make the chickpeas taste of something, and it should be properly sharp. Serve with the rest of the Parmesan and plenty of black pepper.

Per serving

kcal

681

protein

26.8g

fibre

13.4g

carbs

95g

fat

20.5g