Chickpeas with Pasta & Zucchini
Submitted by Dey
Italian sausage, chickpeas, and pasta shells simmer together in a fennel-scented tomato sauce with chunky zucchini. A rustic one-pot dinner ready in an hour. Skip the sausage for a meatless version.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
45 minREADY
60 minThis is the kind of one-pot meal that Italian home cooks have been throwing together for centuries.
Browned Italian sausage meets chickpeas, small pasta shells, and chunks of zucchini in a tomato sauce perfumed with fennel seeds, basil, and bay leaf.
The pasta cooks right in the sauce, soaking up all that savory, slightly anise-flavored broth.
Leave out the sausage and you’ve got a fully meatless version that’s just as satisfying.
Kitchen Tips
- Boil the sausage first, then slice and brown. This renders out excess fat and gives the slices a better sear.
- The pasta cooks directly in the sauce, so keep an eye on the liquid level. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick before the shells are tender.
- Fennel seeds are the quiet hero here. They echo the flavor of Italian sausage and tie the whole dish together.
Ingredients
Directions
Place sausages in saucepan and cover with water.
Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
Drain and cut into ½ inch slices.
In a large saucepan, heat oil on high heat and cook sausage slices until browned on all sides.
Add onion and garlic; cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes, including juice, basil, fennel seeds and bay leaf.
Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add chickpeas, pasta shells and zucchini.
Cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes more or until pasta is tender.
Sprinkle with parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
For a meatless dish, leave out the sausage.
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