Vegan Chickpea Pasta Sauce

Blended chickpeas are the base of this vegan chickpea pasta sauce that's naturally creamy and packed with protein. This is a light yet delicious pasta sauce that comes together in just 30 minutes for a healthy dinner with none of the guilt.

Using chickpeas as a base for a naturally creamy pasta sauce has got to be the greatest hack ever. It basically makes it possible to tuck into a bowl of velvety pasta without using any cream or any processed ingredients.

Instead of feeling guilty that you're cooking pasta yet again, you'll actually reap the nutritious benefits of chickpeas, which include loads of protein and fibres.

You can also make this creamy chickpea pasta gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta. This is also a highly customizable recipe because you can add some extra veggies if you want.

What do you need to make creamy pasta sauce?

Here's what you need to make this chickpea pasta sauce:

Chickpeas - Canned chickpeas make this recipe so convenient. I use the content of three cans that I divide in two. One half goes into the blender together with its liquid to create the creamy base for the sauce, and then I drain the other half and add the whole chickpeas to the pasta for extra texture and protein.

Onion, garlic and red chilli flakes - These form the base of the sauce and infuse it with flavour, so make sure you use fresh ingredients.

Dry mushrooms - A mix of dry wild mushrooms that you rehydrate about half an hour beforehand is great here. Alternatively, you can use porcini mushrooms or even your favourite fresh mushrooms.

Fresh rosemary - I like the way fresh rosemary tastes in combination with chickpeas (check out my chickpea soup with garlic and herbs if you love this mix as well). You can also add other fresh herbs like thyme or oregano.

Pasta - I used a type of pasta called Fiorelli in this recipe, but any type of short pasta would work well here.

How do you make it?

• Bring a large pot of water to boil, salt it generously, and cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the package. Reserve a bit of pasta water before draining.
• Meanwhile, blend half of the chickpeas together with their liquid and ¼ teaspoon salt in a powerful blender until creamy. Drain the remaining chickpeas and set them aside.

• Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes on medium heat until softened.
• Stir in the garlic and red chilli flakes and cook for another minute until fragrant. Next, add the rosemary and cook for 1-2 minutes until the flavour is released.
• Add the rehydrated wild mushrooms and the blended chickpeas. Stir to combine, then add the whole chickpeas and a ladle of pasta water.
• Cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens, then transfer the cooked pasta to the pan and toss well to cover it in the sauce. Stir in the fresh parsley, season to taste, and serve immediately.

Extra recipe tips

• If you want to use dry chickpeas for this recipe, you can boil them together with some onion, garlic, and rosemary so they get infused with extra flavour.
• To boost the level of umami, add a tablespoon of tomato paste before stirring in the blended chickpeas.
• The sauce may look too thick when you add the pasta to the pan. Use some of the pasta water you reserved to bring it to the desired consistency.
• If you think the fresh rosemary is not enough, you can also add some thyme, oregano, or an Italian seasoning mix.
• Sprinkle some nutritional yeast over the pasta at the end for an extra boost of flavour.

If you enjoyed this vegan chickpea pasta sauce, here are some other delicious vegan pasta ideas:

Easy One-Pot Vegan Chili Mac

Vegan Pasta Alla Norma

Vegan Caponata Pasta

Creamy Vegan Peanut Pasta

Vegan Spicy Miso Pasta

Tofu Bolognese

Vegan Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Walnuts (Tagliatelle ai Funghi)

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