In the cooler months I try to keep the ingredients for baked pasta on hand. It’s a versatile recipe and a great way to use up veggies that are about to turn. I love the chickpea pasta because it’s a nice texture for a GF alternative and it’s also loaded with protein. Even if you’re not GF, it’s a delicious pasta. I bake this in my 5 quart Le Creuset Braiser which is my most favorite and most used of my Le Creuset collection. It works well as a skillet when I don’t want to cook acidic foods in my cast iron and I love that it has a lid. (It’s perfect for making steamed clams!) Highly recommend.
I’ve added in lots of options here for the ingredients. Think of it as more of a formula than a recipe.
ingredients:
•8oz Banza gf chickpea pasta cooked very al dente
•1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed or another box of pasta
•1lb spicy Italian sausage, browned or 1 Boars Head pepperoni stick, sliced thin or another protein that sounds good
•1lb spinach, sautéed with 1 chopped onion or other veggies sautéed like zucchini or bell pepper
•half 5oz jar of manzanilla green olives, drained (save the brine for dirty martinis) or half a jar of capers drained, or a small jar of marinated artichokes drained
•8oz shredded mozzarella
•1 24oz jar marinara sauce or 1 jar pesto
Other variations: throw in a handful of fresh basil or a rosemary leaves from a sprig or two. Add in half a jar of fire roasted red peppers, chopped. Use a mixture of Italian cheeses. Sun-dried tomatoes would be great.
Preheat oven to 375º while prepping all of the ingredients. Combine the pasta, chickpeas, sausage, spinach green olives and marinara sauce in a 9×13 casserole dish. Top with cheese. If you’re using pepperoni, I reserve a handful of pepperoni to go on top of the cheese.
Bake covered for about 20 minutes until bubbly and heated through. Remove the cover and bake another 5 minutes until cheese is slightly browned. Serve with red pepper flakes and a green salad.
