End of Summer vibes, for me, is all about using up the last tomatoes, ripe to their finest, and cooking them with everything and anything.
Just sliced, sprinkled with sea salt and drizzled with olive oil? Perfection. Added to a fresh salad? Delicious. Blended into a soup? Oh my. Roasted until tender and juicy, stirred into pasta for a weekend dinner? That’s what I’m talking about!
Chickpea pasta is a really nice alternative for when you don’t eat wheat, even if you’re just trying to avoid it, these types of pasta (sold now in every health food store) are more nutrient-dense, with more protein, keeping you full for longer.
In this recipe, I’ve gathered some of my Summer favourites all into a bowl of pasta. I mean… It just couldn’t get better than this. Ripe and deep red tomatoes, sweet and juicy peaches and the artichokes in the end to give that little zing that brings the dish together. I chose canned artichokes for being easier to use and slightly acidic, feel free to use fresh ones and boil them in a lemon-water solution.
Make this for dinner or lunch and save any leftovers – they’re great the next day or perfect for a picnic with friends. You can choose to re-heat in a pan or just eat it cold, which is also nice.
Roast Tomato Chickpea Pasta
serves 4
Ingredients:
500gr chickpea pasta (I went for penne)
2kg ripe heirloom tomatoes, in chunks
5 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil
350gr canned artichokes, in quarters
1-2 ripe peaches, depending on size, peeled and in cubes
1 handful fresh basil
Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºc and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Cut the tomatoes in big chunks, place them in the baking tray with the whole garlic cloves and season with salt and olive oil. Bake for 30-40min until tomatoes are tender and well roasted.
3. Meanwhile, cook the chickpea pasta according to the package instructions.
4. Let cool for a few minutes and, carefully, squeeze the garlic cloves to the tray so you get only the inside, that has roasted to perfection and has become sweet and juicy. With a fork, mash the garlic completely and stir it into the tomatoes.
5. Drain the pasta, keeping a little bit of the cooking water (about 1/4-1/3 cup).
6. Gently fold in all the ingredients into one big serving bowl: pasta, roasted tomatoes + garlic + roasting juices, artichokes, peaches, and basil leaves.
7. Garnish with some extra basil leaves and serve immediately. Once cold, keeps in the fridge for 3 days.
with love,
Joana