Creamy Chickpea Pasta Sauce

Chickpeas are one of my favorite ingredients to work with! These little gems are super versatile, and you can use them to make almost anything, even desserts like my cookie dough hummus and peanut butter blondies. 

This time, we will be using them to make a fantastic chickpea pasta sauce! 

💚Why you will love this recipe 

• Lucious, hearty, and packed with flavors 
• Nutrients-dense and packed with plant protein to keep you fuller for longer 
• Easy to make and only require simple ingredients 
• Subtly spiced and suitable for both kids and adults alike 

🍝What you will need 

📃Ingredient notes and substitutions 

• Pasta - I use regular penne, but you can use pasta of any shape and size. Opt for whole-grain pasta or pulse pasta like red lentils or chickpeas pasta to bump up the fiber and protein content. 
• Chickpeas - Both canned chickpeas and those made from scratch will work. 

🔪How to make

Cook pasta according to package instructions or until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta. Set aside. 

Heat a pan, then add onion and saute until translucent. Stir in garlic and fry for another minute or until fragrant. 

Add chickpeas, vegetable stock, cooked aromatics, Italian seasoning, and mustard into a high-speed blender along with salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth. 

Heat the sauce in a pan. Once the chickpea pasta sauce starts to simmer, add cook pasta in and toss until they are well coated. Serve and enjoy immediately. 

✔Helpful tips 

• Remember to salt your pasta cooking water. Salting the cooking water helps the flavor of pasta to develop. 
• I highly recommend using chickpeas on the softer and mushier side to aid blending. If your canned chickpeas are hard, you could take the extra step to boil them for 10-15 minutes. 
• Use a high-speed blender to blend your chickpea pasta sauce for a good few minutes to yield the smoothest sauce. 
• Adjust the amount of pasta water used to achieve desired consistency. I love a thicker sauce, but you could add more water if you prefer it to be thinner. 
• This dish is best eaten warm as the sauce will thicken up the longer it sits. However, you can quickly fix thick sauce by adding a splash of water or plant milk, then reheating it. 
• Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. Add a splash of water or milk to thin out the sauce during reheating. 

🥦Substitutions and add-ins 

Chickpeas - Not a fan of chickpeas? You could use other kinds of beans in place like lima, cannellini, navy, or white kidney beans. 

Pasta - As mentioned above, you could use any variety of pasta in this recipe, from regular durum wheat to the more nutritious ones like wholemeal or lentil pasta. To make this dish gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta like chickpea pasta or rice pasta. 

Nutritional yeast - Gives sauce a cheesy flavor. Add about 2-3 tablespoons. 

Seasonings - Go wild and add whatever sounds good to you! Paprika, oregano, dried rosemary, and cumin are some great additions. You can add some chili powder or cayenne pepper for a touch of heat. 

Protein - Add a source of plant-based protein like vegan Italian sausages, chunks of seitan chicken breast, or some baked tofu for a more satisfying meal. 

Veggies - This amazing pasta dish is great with peas, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli florets, or baby spinach. Do cook tougher veg like broccoli and zucchini first before adding pasta sauce.
Toppings - I usually top it with some chopped cilantro and chili flakes, but you could absolutely do other toppings like chopped oregano and basil, grated vegan cheese, or vegan parmesan.

🍽More vegan pasta recipes

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