Pasta With Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Silverbeet
By: Helen Pitlick
Published: Friday, December 10, 2010 - 1:02am

Ingredients




8 ounces dried penne or rotelle 
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 mediums garlic cloves, minced
2 pinch red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 pinch saffron threads, (optional)
15 ounces canned chickpeas, drained with 1/2 cup liquid reserved
cup 
1 (28 oz) can canned tomatoes, drained
1 (1 1/4 lbs )Silverbeet, stemmed and rinsed well
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Preparation

1 Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta; stir to prevent sticking. Cook pasta until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside. 2 Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease 2-quart casserole. 3 Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. 4 Add onion, garlic, pepper, thyme, rosemary, paprika and saffron if desired. 5 Cook, stirring often, until onion is tender, 8 minutes. 6 Add chickpeas, reserved liquid and tomatoes to onion mixture. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, breaking up tomatoes with spoon. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. If mixture becomes dry, add a little water to keep it moist. 7 Meanwhile, in large saucepan fitted with steamer basket, bring 2 inches water to a boil over high heat. Add silverbeet, cover and steam until bright green and render, about 3 minutes. Remove silverbeet and coarsely chop. 8 Transfer to large bowl and stir in 2 teaspoons oil and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in pasta, chickpea mixture and Parmesan. Transfer pasta mixture to prepared casserole. Drizzle with remaining 1 teaspoon oil and season with pepper. Cover with foil and bake until hot, about 20 minutes.

About


This satisfying casserole has it all-protein, carbohydrates, a leafy green vegetable and tons of robust flavor.