Creamy Sausage & Chickpea Pasta Recipe
I had a hard time thinking of what to name this recipe. I landed on Creamy Sausage & Chickpea Pasta. But it also has spinach, and a generous topping of Parmesan cheese, and the option of pine nuts! Creamy Sausage, Spinach, Pine Nut & Parmesan Pasta? Gah! That would’ve been a little too long for a recipe title, so I stuck with the three main ingredients and here we are. I found this lovely recipe a photo story in the internet by Jamie Beck. She didn’t give recipe proportions or detailed cooking methods in her quick Insta-story so I’ve derived my own over time. When I first spotted the finished product it looked so tantalizing, I couldn’t resist giving it my best shot!
This secret to this recipe is the many layers of flavor. Shallots and garlic, chickpeas, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, a spicy or sweet sausage, lemon juice, spinach, Parmesan cheese, and toasted pine nuts. I mean, all bold flavors and all used generously in this dish, which comes together in a creamy sauce bound with creme frâiche. I first made this two years ago and it’s become a go-to staple in the winter. We love (love!) how it’s a great one-pot meal, the spinach counts as a full vegetable serving for our family, and is ideally served on a cold evening in the later weeks of January.
A few notes about the recipe I think you must know are that it makes a nice big portion. So if you’re just serving two or three people you’ll definitely have a lot leftover. That said, feel free to double the recipe and you’re game on for serving an intimate dinner party. I also find this is one of my lunch masters. It reheats beautiful and the creamy sauces bounces right back after a quick microwave or heat-up on the stove.
You’ll love this Creamy Sausage & Chickpea Pasta for your future cozy evenings at home. Enjoy!
Creamy Sausage & Chickpea Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 box macaroni or similar short pasta
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed & patted dry
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 9 ounce bag of baby spinach
- 1 7.5 ounce container of creme frâiche
- 1 lemon wedge
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
- Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain. Proceed with the recipe while the pasta is cooking.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet and bring to medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until softened.
- Add the dried chickpeas and red pepper to the skillet and cook everything for about 5 minutes, or until the chickpeas are heated through, seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Carefully remove the chickpea mixture to a heat proof bowl and move the skillet back to the stovetop.
- Add the sausage to the skillet on the stove and break up the sausage into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage until it's totally cooked through, stirring and turning as needed.
- Add the chickpea mixture back to the cooked sausage and add the baby spinach. Stirring gently, keep incorporating the spinach until it's completely wilted. This will take some time so be patient. You really want it all wilted!
- Stir in the creme frâiche and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Lastly, stir the pasta into the chickpea sausage mixture and incorporated everything. Squeeze the lemon juice over the pasta and stir once more.
- Spoon the pasta into bowls and top each bowl with a smattering of toasted pine nuts and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
