Go Back
–+ servings
Chickpea pasta with feta

Chickpea Pasta with Feta

Your favorite pasta is mixed with a creamy lemon sauce, chickpeas, feta cheese and arugula. It’s an easy and protein-rich weekday meal!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 12 ounce medium-sized pasta
  • 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 small shallot diced (or 1/2 cup sweet onion/diced)
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 lemons juiced and the zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 cups milk or lactose-free milk can also use cream for a creamier sauce
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour use more to thicken sauce if necessary
  • 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese divided
  • 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas
  • 2 cups arugula
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • crushed red pepper optional
  • fresh herbs like, parsley, dill or basil, chopped
  • pine nuts for garnish
  • lemon zest for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Generously salt a large pot of water.
  • Bring to a boil and add the pasta in. Cook until just over al dente, making sure not to overcook.
  • While the pasta is cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the butter or olive oil. Let the butter melt or the olive oil heat.
  • Add the shallots and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes or until fragrant. Whisk in the flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
  • Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the milk and half of the lemon juice. Add the remaining 1 cup of milk and other half of the lemon juice whisking constantly. Stir in the lemon zest and the 3 ounces of feta cheese stirring constantly until the sauce bubbles and starts to thicken.
  • TIP: If you are using a lower fat milk, you might have to whisk in 1 or 2 more Tablespoons of milk to thicken the sauce. If you think the sauce is too thick, you can use the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce.
  • Add the Italian seasoning and let simmer for about 2 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • When the pasta is done cooking, reserve about ½ cup of the cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta.
  • Stir in the pasta, chickpeas, arugula with the sauce. Gently stir. Add in 2 to 3 tablespoons of reserved hot pasta water, which contains salt and starch for extra flavor and texture in the sauce.
  • Sprinkle the remaining 3 ounces of feta cheese on the pasta dish.
  • Serve warm with fresh parsley, crushed red pepper, pine nuts and extra lemon zest.

Notes

  • I used reduced fat milk for the sauce, but you can use lactose-free milk, cream or any cow’s milk. With lower fat milks, you may need to add more flour to thicken the sauce. If you think the sauce is too thick you can use reserved pasta water. Lactose- free milk works nicely as well but will have a slightly sweeter flavor.
  • If you don’t like as much of the lemon flavor, you can cut the lemon juice down to 1 lemon.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!