A delicious recipe for spaghetti with chickpeas and spicy tomato sauce

Here's a colourful and easy pasta and bean dish that makes a satisfying main course all on its own. Garlic, olive oil, onion, hot sauce and grated cheese add up to tons of sunny flavour.

• Preparation and cooking time: 20 to 25 minutes.
• Serves 4.

Ingredients:

Sauce

• 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 can (400 g/14 oz) no-salt-added chopped tomatoes

Pasta

• 375 g (12 oz) spaghetti
• 2 cans (425 g/15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) hot sauce, or to taste
• 500 g (2 c) baby spinach leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 50 g (1/4 c) pecorino Romano cheese
• Fresh parsley leaves (garnish)

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot, add the onion and garlic, and cook over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the celery and sauté, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, then stir in the chopped tomatoes with their juice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling water, according to the package instructions, until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes.
4. When the sauce is cooked, stir in the chickpeas and hot sauce. Add the spinach leaves and simmer, stirring, until the spinach wilts, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Drain the spaghetti and toss with the chickpeas and tomato sauce. Scatter over the parsley leaves, and serve immediately, sprinkled with the pecorino cheese.

• Despite its name, the chickpea is not really a pea but a bean. Chickpeas contain good amounts of iron, manganese and folate, and are richer in vitamin E than most other beans.
• Cooking the spinach leaves in the sauce very briefly, just to wilt them, retains all their juices while maximizing nutrients.

Each serving provides:

• Key nutrients: 630 calories, 110 calories from fat, 12 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 26 g protein, 103 g carbohydrates, 13 g fibre, 180 mg sodium.
• Blood pressure nutrients: 14 mg vitamin C, 155 mg magnesium, 705 mg potassium, 242 mg calcium.

• Tagliatelle with Cannellini Beans: Use tagliatelle or fettuccine instead of spaghetti, and replace the chickpeas with canned cannellini. Instead of spinach, add 250 grams (1/2 pound) cooked asparagus spears, cut into 2.5-centimetre (1-inch) lengths, to the sauce.

This dish is so flavourful, you won't even miss the meat! Try it tonight for a healthy meal that will quickly become a family favourite.