Marinated chickpeas:
- ¼ cup pine nuts or another nut of your preference, like pistachio or almonds
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes quartered
- 15- ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- .5 ounce mint leaves torn
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper more to taste If desired
- Salt to taste
Pasta:
- 8 ounces dry pasta like linguine, spaghetti, or fettuccine; 1/4 cup pasta cooking water reserved
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion peeled and thinly sliced into half-moons
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup loosely packed Thai basil leaves torn
- Salt and pepper to taste
Toast the pine nuts:
Heat a wide pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the pine nuts and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute until they begin to turn golden brown. Be careful not to burn them. Transfer the pine nuts to a bowl and wipe out the pot and return it to the stovetop.
Start the sauce:
As you wait for the pasta water to boil, start the sauce. Heat the avocado oil in the wide pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 6-8 minutes until it begins to soften and turn golden brown in places.
Add the butter. Once frothy, add the marinated chickpeas and bring the sauce to a boil Cook for 7 minutes until it begins to thicken. Don't allow the sauce to cook down too much; you want to maintain that light, summery quality!
Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 27g | Sodium: 390mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin C: 44mg