Mezzi Rigatoni with Chickpeas and Sage Oil
Ingredients
- Serves 2-3 people
- 1 white onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stick
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- A generous handful of fresh sage leaves
- 1 can of chickpeas (400g)
- 1 tsp of chilli flakes
- 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 300-400g Mezzi Rigatoni or ditalini
Preparation
Add the onion, carrot, celery and 2 cloves of garlic and pulse until finely minced.
Pour one tablespoon of olive oil into a large pan on a medium heat. Once hot, add in the minced veggies. Add a pinch of salt and cook for 8-10 minutes until they have softened.
Add in the tomato paste and about 1 cup of water. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat down to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add in the drained chickpeas with 2 more cups of water. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes until the liquid has reduced.
In the meantime, cook the pasta.
With a hand blender, blend about half of the chickpea pasta sauce, making sure not to blitz it all so it retains a chunky consistency.
Add the remaining oil to another pan and once hot, add in the remaining garlic cloves finely chopped and the fresh sage. Fry the sage and garlic for a few minutes until the sage leaves are crispy. Make sure to stir from time to time to prevent the garlic from burning.
Drain the pasta but reserve about 3 tablespoons of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the pan with the chickpea pasta sauce along with the cooking water. Mix everything together and pour over the sage oil. Serve with some vegan parmesan style cheese if desired.
