Gluten free, lower carb, altogether more virtuous chickpea pasta needs a bit of dressing up when, like me, you know and love the silky, eggy real stuff so much. This recipe packs in lots of flavour and texture, is ready in a jiffy and is the perfect online grocery shopping enabler, always a plus these days. I find it’s best to use the bigger pasta pieces, rather than thin spaghetti or noodles, as it tends to stick when cooking/cooked.

Warm chickpea pasta salad with dates, barberries and tahini

For 4
10 minutes preparation and cooking

250g chickpea pasta
4 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of a lime
1 garlic clove
Salt and pepper
6 dates, chopped
2 tablepoons barberries or chopped cherries
2 tablespoons pecans, almonds or cashew nuts
4 handfuls rocket or baby spinach
1 tablespoon flatleaf parsley, chopped
Radishes and/or tomatoes to garnish

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to instructions.

Whiz the tahini with the olive oil, lime and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and loosen with some warm water if the sauce emulsifies too much.

Drain the pasta, drizzle some of the sauce on and toss it through. Add the remaining ingredients, toss again, season, garnish and serve right away with the rest of the sauce on the side. 

Photography by Gunda Dittrich.