One‑pot spicy tomato pasta with chickpeas and spinach
Quick, budget-friendly one‑pot pasta with chickpeas, spinach and a spicy tomato sauce — hearty, vegan and ready in 30 minutes.
This is the kind of one‑pot that keeps students fed, saves on washing up and still tastes like you made an effort. Pantry staples plus a tin of chickpeas turn a simple tomato pasta into a protein‑rich, filling meal.
It’s vegan, cheap and fuss‑free — perfect for midweek evenings, cooking for flatmates or batch‑cooking for the week. Adjust the chilli to make it as mild or fiery as you like.
Ingredients
- 300 g dried pasta — penne, fusilli or similar
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 brown onion — medium, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves — crushed or finely sliced
- 5 ml chilli flakes — adjust to taste
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes — one standard tin
- 800 ml vegetable stock — hot
- 240 g tinned chickpeas — drained weight from one 400 g tin
- 120 g baby spinach — loosely packed
- 1 lemon — juice only
- 5 ml salt — plus extra to finish
- 5 ml black pepper
- 10 g fresh basil — torn, for garnish
Instructions
Prep the veg: finely chop the brown onion and crush or thinly slice the garlic cloves. Zest the lemon if you like, then halve and juice it.
Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan or heavy-based saucepan over a medium hob. Add the brown onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes.
Add the garlic cloves, chilli flakes, smoked paprika and ground cumin. Fry for 1 minute until fragrant, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn’t burn.
Pour in the tinned chopped tomatoes and hot vegetable stock, then add the dried pasta and tinned chickpeas. Season with the salt and black pepper. Bring to a brisk simmer, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring every 2–3 minutes so the pasta cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Cook until the pasta is al dente, about 12 minutes (timing depends on pasta shape).
When the pasta is almost cooked, stir in the baby spinach and the lemon juice. Cook for 1–2 minutes until the spinach has wilted and everything is glossy and saucy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve straight from the pan, scattered with torn fresh basil and an extra drizzle of olive oil if liked.
Tips
- If your pasta brand cooks quicker/slower, start checking for al dente a few minutes earlier or later than the stated 12 minutes.
- Use hot stock from the kettle so the pan returns to a simmer quickly and the pasta cooks evenly.
- If you want a creamier finish, mash a few chickpeas against the pan sides with a wooden spoon to thicken the sauce slightly.
- This reheats very well: cool quickly and refrigerate for up to 3 days, reheat with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce.
- Make it ahead: cook through step 4, cool, then finish with spinach and lemon just before serving to keep the spinach bright.
Substitutions
tinned chickpeas → tinned cannellini beans, same drained weight
Stays closebaby spinach → frozen spinach, 200 g (defrost and squeeze out excess liquid)
Stays closedried pasta → gluten-free pasta, same weight
Stays closeolive oil → rapeseed oil, same quantity
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 455
- Calories
- 16 g
- Protein
- 74 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 520 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I use a different tin of beans instead of chickpeas?
Yes — cannellini or butter beans work well. Drain and rinse before adding; texture will be slightly different but still tasty.
My sauce is too thin after the pasta has cooked. What can I do?
Simmer a few minutes longer to reduce, or mash a couple of chickpeas in the pan to thicken. Add a teaspoon of plain flour mixed with cold water as a last resort, then simmer to cook out the flour.
Can I freeze this?
You can freeze the cooked stew without the fresh basil for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently with a splash of water or stock.
How can I make this less spicy?
Reduce the chilli flakes to 1/4 tsp or omit them. Add a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes taste too acidic after reducing the spice.
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