This Creamy Lemon Chickpea Pasta is a symphony of textures and aromas that feels both decadent and shockingly light, not just a bowl of comfortable carbohydrates. Here the spaghetti is covered in a smooth, citrus-kissed sauce broken with crispy, golden chickpeas to provide the ideal crunch.
Combining pantry basics with a few fresh ingredients like soft baby spinach, fresh thyme, and a little cream, this vegetarian pasta is hearty, filling, and reasonably priced. It will enliven any meal.
Why will you love them?
The chickpeas in this dish give a kaleidoscope of textures. The other half of the chickpeas melt into the creamy sauce; half are pan-fried to crunchy perfection and seasoned with spices.
It’s creamy with a bite from citrus. Using a strong dosage of lemon helps the sauce not feel heavy.
Key Ingredients in Creamy Lemon Chickpea Pasta
For twirl-worthy dishes, the sauce glues itself wonderfully to this classic spaghetti form. Also good would be linguine or bucatini.
The headliner here is canned chickpeas; they provide the meal with crunchy and creamy components.
The rich creaminess of a dish comes from heavy cream.
Lemon: The meal gains a reviving zing from zest and juice.
Baby spinach: The easy addition of a flash of color is made from the pre-prepared greens.
Parmesan cheese offers that umami-rich, salted finish. This dish wouldn’t be whole without it.
How to Make Creamy Lemon Chickpea Pasta
Cook the pasta boiling-wise. Cook pasta al dente in strongly salted water. To make the sauce, save a few cups of pasta water.
Cut the chickpeas precisely. Cook half of the chickpeas until golden and crispy using olive oil, thyme, and spices. Arrange aside.
Create the sauce: Garlic and sautéed shallots will then mix with the leftover chickpeas in the pasta pot. To wilt the spinach, throw in saved pasta water.
Bring the pasta to a finish. For a smooth but brilliant, citrusy zing, toss in heavy cream, lemon zest, and juice. Top the pasta with crunchy chickpeas and liberally sprinkle Parmesan.
Helpful Swaps
Greens: For spinach, kale, or arugula will do.
For a sharper taste, replace Parmesan with Pecorino Romano.
Herb: No thyme? For a novel spin, try parsley or rosemary.
If you would want a milder meal, feel free to omit smoked paprika or red pepper flakes.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons kosher salt plus more as needed.
One pound of dry spaghetti.
Two (approximately 15-ounce) cans of chickpeas or one (about 28-ounce) can.
Four teaspoons olive oil split up
One tablespoon of coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves—from roughly fifteen sprigs.
One-fourth teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; more as necessary.
One-fourth teaspoon ground coriander
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
One-eight teaspoon smoked paprika
Two big shallots, finely chopped—roughly three-fourths of a cup
Three finely minced garlic cloves—about one tablespoon
Ten ounces of baby spinach—roughly ten packed cups.
Two tablespoons, from one medium lemon, finely grated lemon zest
Three freshly squeezed tablespoons of lemon juice from one medium lemon.
One half cup thick, heavy cream
Parmesan cheese, finely shredded, for presenting
Instructions:
In a big saucepan or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, boil 4 quarts (3.79 l) of water and 3 teaspoons of kosher salt. Stir in one pound of dried spaghetti and simmer for eight to eleven minutes, following the directions, for al dente. Drain and rinse two (approximately 15-ounce) cans of chickpeas in the meantime. Pat dry using paper towels. Prepare the aromatics and season the chickpeas.
In a big, high-sided pan set over medium-high heat, heat three tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add half of the chickpeas—about one heaping cup—and heat, shaking the pan now and again until the chickpeas begin to brown and crisp in five to six minutes. (If you have one, use a splatter screen.)
Stir in one tablespoon of finely chopped fresh thyme leaves, one-fourth teaspoon of black pepper, one-fourth teaspoon of ground coriander, one-fourth teaspoon of red pepper flakes (if using), and one-eighth teaspoon of smoky paprika. Cook, stirring constantly, for one minute until aromatic. Sort the spiced chickpeas into a basin.
Set the heat to medium. In the skillet, reheat the one remaining tablespoon of olive oil until shimmering. Cook, stirring occasionally, two large finely chopped shallots and three finely chopped garlic cloves until the shallots soften, perhaps two minutes. Cut off the warmth.
Please remember to reserve two cups of the pasta cooking water when it’s time. Drain the pasta. Return the spaghetti to the pot.
Into the spaghetti, stir the shallot and garlic combination as well as the remaining chickpeas. Adjust the heat to medium and add 1 1/2 cups of the cooking pasta water. Stir in 10 ounces (0.38 kg) of baby spinach a few handfuls at a time, tossing continually with tongs, until wilted, about two minutes.
Add one half cup heavy cream, two teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, and three tablespoons lemon juice. As necessary to thin the sauce, stir in additional pasta water. Taste and season according to need using additional black pepper and kosher salt. Present accompanied by grated Parmesan cheese and fried chickpeas.