Pasta w/ Tomato Coconut Gravy from Stir the Pot
You know those culinary kismet moments where you find a recipe that just clicks? Love at first sight (bite)? That’s how I felt when I first made this recipe from Michelle Davis (formerly of Bad Manners cookbook fame, now writing under ‘Stir the Pot’). You may have joined our Hungry Phoenix cooking class where Michelle walked us through making her Chickpea & Tahini Soup with Orzo (available in our Replay Library), and if you did, you know Michelle is warm, genius, and totally hilarious. And you know what makes good food taste even better? Knowing it was created by a dope human.
But enough of me crushing on Michelle.
I subscribe to her Substack (and you should too!), and as soon as this hit my inbox I knew it was GAME ON. So much so that I ended up using rice instead of pasta on my first go because I HAD TO HAVE IT IMMEDIATELY. But it was a happy mistake of sorts, and if you find yourself in a pinch, know that rice is extremely tasty with this, and YES, you can still do it all in one pot! Which reminds me: READ THE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST. The pasta cooks IN the sauce, not separately, so don’t make that mistake like I did.
Re: toppings. Don’t skip the fresh tomato. I know they’re not in season, but trust me, it adds this nice acidic brightness to balance out the decadance. Chives? Never too many. I even added pickled red onions on the leftovers the following day, and also delish. Whatever you do, just know this will become a regular star on your weekly lineup of homemade food.
Pasta e Ceci with a Tomato Coconut Gravy
Makes enough for 4-6 people
active cooking time: 20 minutes
total cooking time 30 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced ginger, about a thumb-sized piece
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek*
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup tomato paste
3 cups cooked chickpeas or one 15 ounce can, drained and rinsed
One 15 ounce can of full fat coconut milk
4 cups vegetable broth
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave
One-pound tubettini or similar style small pasta, uncooked
½ cup minced chives or green onions
2 tablespoons lime juice
Garnishes: sliced cherry tomatoes, more chives, cilantro, pickled red onions
In a large pot, warm up the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the white onion with a pinch of salt and sauté until the onion softens and looks translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, just enough for them to start being fragrant. Add the cumin, fenugreek, paprika, turmeric, and black pepper and sauté so that everything is nice and coated. Add the tomato paste and try to break it up as best you can so you don’t just have a giant blob in the pan. Pour in the coconut milk, stir, then add the vegetable broth, salt, and maple syrup. Make sure you scrap up any of the burnt bits on the bottom of the pan.
Now add the chickpeas and stir them around so that they get coated in the gravy. Here I like to take my immersion blender right into the pot and pulse it to chop up about half of the chickpeas. Totally optional but I think the resulting texture is great.
Once the chickpeas are however you want them, let the pot come to a gentle simmer then add the uncooked pasta. Let this gently simmer, stirring frequently, until the pasta is tender, about 10-15 minutes depending on your pasta shape. The broth will reduce as you cook the pasta and the resulting sauce will be extra silky and THICK thanks to all the starch that’s released. If you want a texture that’s closer to a soup, add an extra cup or more of broth. Once the pasta is tender, turn off the heat and fold in the chives and lime juice. Taste and add more spice, salt, or whatever you think it needs.
Serve right away. I like to top this with some sliced tomatoes and more chives but it is perfect as is for a simple silky bowl of pasta and protein.
*No fenugreek? No problem. Add ½ teaspoon of ground coriander or more cumin in its place.
