My theory on pasta is — if you are going to eat it, might as well mix in lots of veggies and healthy add-ons! I’ve had a bag of frozen asparagus in my freezer for awhile, and I’ve been looking for a way to use it. Then I happened to see this Asparagus Pasta Salad from Just a Taste and the bow-tie pasta looked oh-so-delicious with the bright green asparagus! I wanted to add some protein to the pasta, and use a different sauce, and I ended up with this recipe, which we will be making again and again! Asparagus Garlic-Lemon Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Roasted Chickpeas.
Draining, rinsing, and drying the chickpeas.
Look at these healthy little beans, packed with protein!
Juicy cherry tomatoes, which give the dish the perfect amount of sweetness.
Asparagus Garlic-Lemon Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Roasted Chickpeas [ Recipe by Neshikot.com ]
Ingredients:
1 lb Farfalle pasta
2 boxes of precooked Chickpeas (I use Whole Foods organic chick peas, 13 oz each)
1 bag of frozen asparagus (I use Whole Foods organic frozen asparagus, 12 oz bag)
1 container cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup garlic olive oil
1 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons lemon juice
A few tablespoons shredded parmesan (optional)
For the roasted chickpeas:
1.5 teaspoons garlic olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
A dash of garlic salt
Directions:
Drain the chickpeas and rinse well. Transfer chickpeas to a large plate, covered in paper towels. Use another paper towel to blot the chickpeas dry. You may need to do this many times, in order to get them dry. During this process, the peels of the chickpeas will start to come off. You can either remove them (which I do) or you can leave them on (which my Mom does!). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, toss the chickpeas with garlic olive oil, garlic powder, and a dash of garlic salt. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and lay the chickpeas on the sheet in one layer. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. You can continue baking longer, if you would prefer them to be crunchier.
Cook pasta according to the directions. While pasta is cooking, rinse the cherry tomatoes and slice in half. Cook the frozen asparagus according to the directions, and chop each stalk into 3 even pieces.
When pasta is done, drain and pour into a large bowl. While pasta is still hot, mix in the garlic olive oil, lemon juice and grated parmesan cheese, making sure all of the pasta has been coated. Then, mix in the roasted chickpeas, the cherry tomatoes, and the apparatus. Top with a few tablespoons of shredded parmesan cheese.
Inspired by:
Just a Taste and Chop Suey/AllRecipes
I am in love with this oh-so-easy, versatile, half-breakfast, half-dessert, baked oatmeal. I make it a few times a week, because it’s so easy to whip together with whatever ingredients I happen to have around, and it’s delicious. You can easily tweak it to meet your needs — if you are looking for something a little healthier, you could reduce or eliminate the sugar and chocolate chips (but really, are you sure you want to eliminate the chocolate chips? I swear, the healthy bananas and walnuts make up for anything bad about the chippies). It is so filling that it will help you maintain energy throughout the day.
I love this dish because it is: easy, fast, and only requires one pot (unless you make your peas on the stove, like me! Then you will use 1 pot for the mac and cheese and 1 pot for the peas). It is a healthier, much more “real” alternative to everyone’s favorite mac-and-cheese-in-a-box (although I still use my Annie’s Bunnies in a pinch every now and then!) Rather than eating powdered cheese sauce from a box, this is made with organic sharp white cheddar, whole milk, and protein-packed peas. And the best part? It doesn’t take any more time than cooking up a box of processed mac and cheese.
