Creamy Linguine with Crispy Chickpeas

I made a version of this Creamy Linguine with Crispy Chickpeas for dinner a few weeks ago and I knew I wanted to turn it into an actual recipe for the site. It is such a yummy weeknight dinner! The creamy sauce is made with hummus…might sound weird, but it’s so good! And the pasta is topped with crispy chickpeas and garlic breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs make it taste like you have a bite of garlic bread in each bite. Amazing!

Here’s what you need

Ingredients

• oil
• cherry tomatoes
• chickpeas
• smoked paprika
• chili powder
• salt & pepper
• panko breadcrumbs
• garlic powder
• garlic salt
• crushed tomatoes
• garlic
• Italian seasoning
• red pepper flakes
• broth – I used vegan chicken broth
• linguine
• hummus
• fresh basil

Equipment

• stock pot
• 2 baking sheets

Steps

Step 1: Prep & Bake

Heat some oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5-ish minutes, or until the tomatoes start to burst. Turn down the heat if needed.

While the tomatoes are cooking, add the chickpeas, oil, smoked paprika, chili powder and a pinch of salt & pepper to one of the baking sheets. Toss to combine and spread in an even layer. Place in the oven for 10 minutes.

Add the breadcrumbs, remaining oil, garlic powder & garlic salt to the other baking sheet. Toss to combine and spread in an even layer. After 10 minutes, toss the chickpeas and place both the chickpeas and breadcrumbs in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Step 2: Finish the Pasta

Add the crushed tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt & pepper to the stock pot and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and gently press down until the pasta is submerged. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring frequently so the pasta doesn’t stick.

Now, we need to make it creamy. Add the hummus and fresh basil to the pot and toss until combined. Give it a taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.

Step 3: Serve

It is now time to bring everything together and serve. Add pasta to each plate and top with the chickpeas and breadcrumbs.

Each bite is seriously delicious! You get creamy pasta, crispy chickpeas and those breadcrumbs…seriously, so good!

This is such an easy weeknight dinner and the leftovers are delish!

Tips & Tricks

You could sub non-dairy milk for the hummus, but I think the hummus adds a really nice flavor.

I used plain hummus, but you could also use flavored.

If the leftovers thicken up too much, you can loosen the sauce with a little bit of non-dairy milk!