Finally here in the Netherlands, pumpkin is easy to find and so I’m busy preparing new recipes like this pumpkin, chickpeas, and spinach pasta, which is truly delicious!
As always, it’s very simple to make and all in one pot. You can substitute the type of pasta, but I always recommend using whole grain pasta, or you can use kale instead of spinach, it’s equally tasty.
In no time, you’ll have a truly abundant one-dish meal, complete with all the nutrients, light, and with few Weight Watchers points, ideal for the whole family. Let’s prepare it!
Some other recipes with pumpkin can be found here:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Fall, Fall, Winter
Ingredients
- 5 oz whole grain pasta
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (2 teaspoons)
- 1 clove garlic
- A few leaves sage (or a bit of dried sage)
- 14 oz pumpkin (with skin on)
- 8 oz cooked chickpeas
- 10 fl oz vegetable broth
- 14 oz spinach (fresh or frozen)
- to taste salt
- Points per serving = 11 WW points
Tools
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Pot
- Wooden Spoon
Steps
First, weigh the various ingredients.
Wash the spinach and chop it. If using frozen, let it thaw a bit before chopping.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas well.
Cut the garlic in half.
Wash the pumpkin well and cut it into small pieces with the skin; it’s great to eat!
In a large pot, add the oil, garlic, and sage leaves, and sauté over low heat.
Add the pumpkin and stir. Let it flavor for a couple of minutes.
Remove the garlic if you don’t like finding it in your plate later on…
Add the chickpeas and stir.
Add part of the vegetable broth. I use granular broth, so I add water and granules: 1 heaping teaspoon is enough.
When the water starts to boil, add the pasta; I used whole grain ditalini. Stir, cover, and cook over low heat. If it dries out too much, add a bit more broth or hot water, just like a risotto.
When the pasta is cooked, add the chopped spinach.
Mix well and turn off the heat: the spinach just needs to wilt and warm up. If using other types of vegetables, adjust the cooking time. The rule I follow for vegetables is this: after a short time in the pan, the greens turn a bright color; I stop cooking at that point to ensure they retain their maximum nutritional properties.
Adjust seasoning with salt, let it rest for a few minutes, and serve: our pumpkin, chickpeas, and spinach pasta is ready!
If, like me, you love pumpkin, you’ll find that this dish is very pleasing: pumpkin, chickpeas, and spinach pair wonderfully, a slightly sweet taste perfect for me as I have a sweet tooth. But most importantly, it’s a dish that fills you up. Try it too and let me know if you liked it…
Bon appétit!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
You can prepare the base sauce up to the point of adding the pasta and spinach and store it in the fridge for 3-4 days or even freeze it for 3 months. Take it out of the fridge, if it was in the freezer, let it thaw, reheat, add broth, and proceed to add the pasta and then the spinach at the end. You can also store the ready-made pasta and pumpkin in the fridge, but obviously, reheating will make the pasta less al dente: I recommend using the microwave in that case.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Which variety of pumpkin should I use?
You can use any variety, with the Delica pumpkin it will be sweeter, with the Butternut less so. In the photo, I used a pumpkin with orange skin and flesh: it’s not very large and I don’t know the precise Italian name, here in the Netherlands it’s called Hokkaido. This reminds me the most of the pumpkin we use in Naples.
Can I use other vegetables?
Of course, you can: kale, curly kale, Swiss chard… any green leafy vegetable that doesn’t require long cooking.
What can I use instead of chickpeas?
You can use any cooked legume you prefer. In the case of red split lentils, you can add them raw after rinsing thoroughly; use 80g for this recipe and you might need more broth as they absorb a lot of liquid while cooking.
