CHICKPEA AND MUSHROOM RAGU PASTA

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This is an amazingly comforting and hearty meal, inspired by my hungarian roots. The silken tofu, chickpeas and cashews makes this a high-protein, balanced meal that will fill you right up!

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 25 minutes
TOTAL: 35 minutes
MAKES: 4 people

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INGREDIENTS

• 250g macaroni pasta (I used semolina flour pasta)

• 2 tomatoes

• 500g button mushrooms (washed/peeled)

• 2 handful baby spinach leaves (washed)

• 1 can (400g with liquid) chickpeas, drained & rinsed

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1 white onion

• 1-2 tsp olive oil for the cooking

• a handful of fresh parsley

  For the sauce:

• 1/2 block (150g) silken tofu

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked & rinsed

• 2 tbsp plant milk (I used soy)

• 2 tbsp water

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1.5 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp vegetable broth powder

• pinch of salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Soak the cashews in a bowl with water for around an hour before cooking. Drain and rinse before using it. You can skip this step, but it helps to reduce anti-nutrients in cashews, making the iron more bioavailable (easier to absorb).

2. Cut the cleaned mushrooms length-wise. Finely chop the onion and garlic cloves. Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Finely chop the fresh parsley. Drain and rinse the can of chickpeas and set aside.

3. Boil water and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Make sure to properely salt the water before adding the pasta (like the ocean). Save around 1/2 cup of pasta water.

4. While the pasta cooks, sauté the onion and garlic in a large pan on medium-high heat with olive oil, until golden brown. Add the chopped mushrooms and let them cook for around 15 minutes, until most water disappears. 

5. While the mushrooms are cooking, make the sauce by blending all inredients in a blender until smooth, and set aside.

6. Once the mushrooms are starting to fry up, add the tomatoes and chickpeas and let them cook for another 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and pour over the sauce and 2-3 tbsp of the saved pasta water. Stir in the baby spinach leaves and let them cook together for another 2 minutes.

7. Turn off the heat, add the cooked and drained pasta, mix well and top with the chopped parsley*.

   Best enjoyed with pickles. 

   *Parsley is high in Vitamin C, which is why I love to add it in the end, so it’s stays fresh. Vitamin C will help absorb the iron from the meal!

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