Chickpeas With Sausage and Pasta

I think of this recipe as like a simple, “homemade” Hamburger Helper. It’s hardy, satisfying and quick. I haven’t changed much but it shows how flexible the recipe is and that it’s very easy to modify to your preferences.

See the original recipe from Real Simple here. 

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Servings: 4

Tips
Any other short pasta works here; try rigatoni, penne, fusilli, farfalle, or ziti.

If you want a less meaty option, swap the sausage with any typical protein alternative (when I do that, I’ll add a tablespoon of oregano and some chilli flakes to bring back that sausage seasoning).

I don’t like chickpeas with pasta so much, so I use cannellini or white kidney beans.

This is a bit of a “brown” meal, so I’ll add a good handful of baby spinach when I stir in the pasta at the end, which also adds a different texture and a bit of colour.

Ingredients

• 8 oz. (225 grams) orecchiette pasta
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/2 lb. ground sweet or hot Italian pork sausage
• One small yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• Two 15-oz. cans chickpeas or Cannellini beans (aka white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
• One 6-oz. can tomato paste
• 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for cooking pasta
• 1 oz. Parmesan cheese, shaved (about 1/4 cup) for serving
• Coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions
Boil pasta.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups cooking water (basically before draining the pasta, scoop out 2 cups to add into the mix later).

Add sausage and onion.
In same pot, heat oil over medium. Add sausage; cook, breaking it up using a spoon, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is well browned and onion is softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add beans and tomato paste.
Add beans and tomato paste to pot; cook, stirring often, until tomato paste begins to caramelize, 2 to 3 minutes. Add reserved cooking water and salt; bring to a simmer over medium-high. Cook, stirring often and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.

Stir in pasta and serve.
Remove pot from heat and stir in pasta. Serve topped with cheese. Garnish with parsley (if desired) and drizzle with oil.

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Or, freeze for up to 3 months.