Pasta Meets Chickpea Stew—and It Works

Mafalde Corto with Rancho Gordo Ceci Piccoli

Ingredients

• 2 medium yellow onions, diced

• 8–9 cloves roasted garlic, mashed into a paste

• 1 generous pinch saffron threads

• 2 Tbsp pine nuts

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

• 1 medium carrot, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced thin

• 4 ladles of cooked Rancho Gordo Ceci Piccoli (chickpeas) with broth

• 2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced thin

• ~1 tsp Better Than Bouillon vegetable base (or to taste)

• 2 heirloom tomatoes, deseeded and diced

• 1 bunch fresh spinach, chopped

• 1 lb. dry Mafalde Corto pasta (or similar short ruffled pasta)

• Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions

1. In a deep sauté pan, warm a few tablespoons of EVOO over medium heat. Add diced onions, garlic paste, saffron, pine nuts, and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook gently until the onions begin to turn golden.

2. Add the sliced carrot and continue to cook until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in the chickpeas with their broth, zucchini, and enough water to just cover everything. Add the Better Than Bouillon and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

4. Add the diced heirloom tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

5. Stir in the chopped spinach and let it melt into the broth.

1. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted boiling water until just shy of al dente. Drain and stir it into the stew.

2. Ladle into bowls and finish with grated Parmigiano Reggiano and a generous drizzle of your best olive oil. It should be a little brothy—that’s the point.