Pasta with Chickpeas and Kale

On Saturday, I was watching Lidia's Italy and Lidia made this beautiful pasta with greens and chickpeas. I didn't pay very close attention thinking that it would just be on her website. I then tried to find the recipe on the internet and failed miserably. I knew I had some curly kale left over from my CSA box; and, watching Lidia make the pasta made me crave it.

I found a similar recipe on the blog Serious Eats. This recipe is very easy. You saute the chickpeas in olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Then, you add some chopped kale, cover it, and let the kale cook. After the kale is cooked squeeze lemon juice on it.

Add some cook pasta, reserved pasta water, and grated parmesan cheese. How easy is that?

And, doesn't it look delicious? It's sad but writing to this entry is making me crave more of this dish. I'm going to go grab some leftovers. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing if you like this dish as much as I do.

Pasta with Chickpeas and Kale

Adapted from a recipe from the blog Serious Eats

Ingredients

1 head of kale, chard, or other greens

3 tablespoons olive oil (plus some good olive oil for finishing)

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 pinch of red pepper flakes

1 can chickpeas (15 ounce), drained and rinsed

juice of half of a lemon

1 pound rotini or other short pasta

parmesan cheese to taste

1. Separate the leaves on the greens from the stems. Discard the stems. Then cut the leaves into thin strips. Transfer leaves to a colander and rinse well.

2. In a large skillet with a cover, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about 30 seconds. Add chickpeas and cook for a minute. Add greens, in batches, stirring often until they are slightly wilted. Cover the pot and let cook for 15-20 minutes until wilted. Season to taste with salt. Take off heat and stir in lemon juice.

3. In the meantime, add pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

4. Combine greens and pasta and stir to combine. Add pasta water and parmesan cheese to form a light sauce. Serve in bowls, sprinkle more cheese, and drizzle with a bit of good olive oil.