- Submitted by Dahlia
(Chikpea Pasta, Pasta WIth leftover Channa Masala)
On an another day, my neighbor from Lucknow was whining that all school going children these days eat only pasta and do not value the traditional roti, dal, sabji etc. I retorted and asked her, “What’s wrong with Pasta”? To which she replied that all these videsi (foreign) foods are not healthy and nutritive. Being a pasta lover myself, I just could not take the criticism so lightly and said to her, that the pasta is also made from wheat and almost has the same nutrition as a roti or a chapatti. She still did not make up her mind and went on to say that the videsi pasta sauces are not as healthy as our desi sabjis (Indian side-dishes). I quickly replied to her that the Pasta can be made healthy with our desi sabji addition. She just could not believe it. Then I made the “Channa pasta” or the chickpea pasta to completely convince her of the same. That day I had some left over Channa masala that I made for lunch which I mixed with boiled small shells pasta with some additional spices and seasonings and Channa Pasta was all ready, awaiting the arrival of our school going kids. No doubt that the children enjoyed this innovative recipe, my neighbor also relished every bite she ate. You will all, by now agree that Channa Pasta is easy to cook, extremely tasty, lip smacking and also healthy.
Channa or well known as chick pea is a legume that is nutrient dense providing rich protein content, dietary fiber, folate and dietary minerals like iron and phosphorous. It is undoubtedly a super food. Soaking and cooking of the chickpeas increase the protein quality, protein digestibility and essential amino acid index. It is highly recommended to weight conscious people and diet watchers as the protein and the fiber present in it helps in keeping the stomach full for longer hours.
If there is no left over channa masala or chole, you could make a fresh channa masala with addition of vegetables like capsicum, peas, sweet corn and then make channa pasta out of it. You could also make a mix of white, black and green channa and then make the dish. So, go ahead and make this dish as evening snack for your pasta loving children or as a simple, nutritive and wholesome dinner for the family.
Recipe for Channa Pasta
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes + time to make channa masala
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- Channa Masala (Chole) - 2 cups
- Pasta - 2 cups
- Salt - as needed
- Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
- Cilantro - for garnishing
Method
- Cook and drain the pasta as per the package instructions. Any shape of pasta could be used. Different pastas have different cooking times. I have used small shells pasta.
- Heat the channa masala gravy with little extra salt and red chili powder. This is to flavor the pasta. If you do not have leftover channa masala, you can make it from scratch.
- Toss the cooked pasta with the gravy and mix it nicely.
- Finally toss in the finely chopped cilantro and serve hot.
Tips
- The other pasta dishes that can be made with leftover gravies are:
- Bainghan (Eggplant/ Brinjal) Pasta - made with leftover bainghan ka bartha or ennai kathrikai.
- Chicken Pasta - with left over pepper chicken or other chicken masalas.
- Mushroom Pasta - with leftover mushroom masala. These are just some of the ideas but the possibilities are endless.
More Pasta & Noodles Recipes