Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Black Pepper Chickpeas. Elbows pasta in roasted red pepper sauce with crisp black pepper thyme chickpeas. Vegan Soy-free Recipe. Can be gluten-free with gluten-free pasta.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Pasta
  • Cuisine: fusion, Vegan

Ingredients

Black pepper Chickpeas

  • 1 tsp oil
  • 15 oz can chickpeas (drained, washed)
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground or coarsely crushed black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp or more salt
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme (or 1 tsp fresh)
  • 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp dried sage
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Roasted red pepper pasta

  • 10 oz mac or other pasta
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
  • 1.5 to 2 roasted red peppers
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground mustard
  • 1/4 tsp each of dried thyme (oregano)
  • 1 tbsp or more nutritional yeast
  • salt to taste
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup cashews (soaked for 15 mins if needed)
  • 1.5 cups water
  • Fresh basil

Method

Make the crisp chickpeas:

  1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chickpeas, spices, salt and herbs and toss well. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until crisp on the edges. Stir occasionally. Taste in between to adjust salt and pepper. I like the chickpeas just lightly crisped on the stove top.
  2. You can also toss everything in a bowl with an additional 1 to 2 tsp oil and bake at 400 degrees F / 200ºc for 20 minutes or so until crisp.

Make the Pasta:

  1. Cook the pasta according to instructions.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until translucent.
  3. Add half of the cooked onion garlic mixture to the blender. Add all the ingredients roasted red peppers through water and blend until smooth. Add to the skillet and bring to a boil. At this point you can add in some veggies(chopped small) if you like.
  4. Taste and adjust salt and heat. Add more salt, a pinch of sweetener if needed. I usually add in some more fresh black pepper to the sauce.
  5. Fold in the cooked pasta and cook for a minute. Cover and let sit for a few minutes.
  6. Serve garnished with crisp peppery chickpeas and loads of fresh basil.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.