PENNE PASTA WITH PUMPKIN SAUCE AND CRISPY CHICKPEAS
This creamy pasta is the best option for a healthy, comforting October dinner. The secret for this pasta recipe is of course the sauce! It is made from pumpkin puree and heavy creamy coconut milk. Those ingredients make the pasta very tasty and a little bit sweet as well. As for protein the baked chickpeas work wonders.
Ingredients:
- whole wheat penne pasta (1/2 box)
For the crispy chickpeas:
- 1 can of chickpeas
- olive oil (about 2 tablespoons)
- paprika for seasoning
For the sauce:
- ¾ cup of pumpkin puree (canned) or made from scratch
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- ¼ medium sized onion
- 1 piece of garlic
- 1/4 cup of heavy coconut milk coconut milk (canned)
- 1 teaspoon of Himalayan Pink Salt
- 2 teaspoons of honey
- filtered water, if needed
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. When the water starts to boil, add the pasta and continue cooking until tender (about 10 minutes). Drain the pasta in a colander.
- While the pasta is cooking drain and dry the chickpeas as much as possible before baking it. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the chickpeas out on the paper and season with olive oil and some paprika.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, checking from time to time to shake the pan, so they won’t burn.
- Next, prepare the creamy pumpkin sauce. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and olive oil to a large skillet and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft (about 3 minutes).
- Add the pumpkin pure and salt to the skillet. Stir to combine. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 5 minutes.
- Then turn the heat off, add some coconut milk and stir.
- Add 2 teaspoons of honey, stir and combine with cooked pasta.
- Add baked chickpeas and serve. Decorate with some parsley, if you wish.
Total: 4 servings
1 serving – 407 calories
