Chickpea and chorizo fideos.

In my opinion you can never have too many recipes for one-pot meals.  This one is easy to make and is a quick version of a Spanish pasta dish.  The chorizo provides a smoky flavor, but if you can’t find chorizo, pepperoni works well in its place, and that is what I used since I was not able to find the chorizo at my supermarket.  It is more likely to be found in a market that has a large department of Spanish foods.

In Spanish Fideo means noodle.  Fideo is a type of pasta commonly used in soups.  It can be long or short.  In this recipe the angel hair pasta is broken into 2-inch lengths to mimic the short fideos.

In addition to the chorizo or pepperoni, chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, provide an excellent source of protein.  So this dish, although consisting of only a few ingredients, is highly nutritious as well as very tasty.  We loved it and I’m sure I’ll be making it again.  If you have leftovers they can be easily reheated by adding a small amount of chicken broth to loosen it, and heat briefly in the microwave.

CHICKPEA AND CHORIZO FIDEOS

Yield:   Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 package whole-wheat angel hair pasta ( 7-8 oz.), broken into 2-inch pieces
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped Spanish chorizo or pepperoni ( about 2 oz.)
• 1 ( 14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
• 1  1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 15-oz. can chick peas, rinsed and drained
• 3 scallions, sliced

Have all ingredients chopped and ready to go.

Directions:

1.  Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add pasta pieces and cook, stirring, until toasted and browned in spots, 2 to 3 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl.

Toasting the pasta.

2.  Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to the pan and heat over medium heat.  Add garlic and chorizo ( or pepperoni) and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3.  Add tomatoes, water, wine and the toasted pasta;  bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 8 minutes.

Adding in the water, wine, pasta and tomatoes.

4.  Stir in chickpeas and scallions and cook 1 minute more.

Add chickpeas and scallions.

Serve with a big green salad drizzled with a vinaigrette dressing.

SOURCE:    Eating Well.com