I was browsing Marks & Spencer Food the other day, and came across chickpea pasta. It’s literally just chickpea flour and water – so it’s gluten-free and vegan. Plus being made of chickpeas, it’s also lower in carbohydrates for those who are trying to reduce their simple carb intake.

On this same browse, I came across artichoke hearts in olive oil and knew immediately what I was going to make for a meal.

I’ve been thinking a lot about meals that can be made without an oven, especially as I wind down for the summer, and start thinking about quick and easy meals that can be made with as little time in my hot kitchen as possible.

I’ve always loved aglio e olio pasta, it’s such a simple dish that highlights the freshest ingredients. I wanted to recreate something similar, but with a bit of a twist with the addition of sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes. Guys. It came out so well!

The chickpea pasta held up really well with the simple ingredients, and gave an interesting nutty to the meal. I’m sure it won’t be great for everyone, but as someone who does eat a lot of different types of pasta, I thought it was really good.

The whole dish took 20 minutes from start to finish, so it’s perfect for a weeknight dinner. I made a huge batch and divided it up into four containers for school lunch.

Ingredients

250 grams chickpea pasta (or pasta of choice)
12 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained (reserve 2 tbsp oil)
10 artichoke hearts in oil, drained
5 garlic cloves
1 tbsp dried chili flakes
4 tbsp pine nuts
handful fresh young spinach

1. Boil a pot of water and cook the pasta according to the instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. Peel and thinly slice the garlic cloves. Add them to a frying pan over medium heat. After 1 minute, add the pine nuts. Cook for 3 minutes.
3. Roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts. Add them to the pan with the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the pasta to the pan and stir, making sure to incorporate everything well. Add the oil and chili flakes. Continue to stir and cook for 3 more minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and stir through the spinach.
6. Divide equally between four bowls. Enjoy hot.