Whole Grain Pasta with Chickpeas and Escarole

I love capers. They're salty and sour and tangy. I typically have them with a bagel, cream cheese, and salmon. So this was my first time with pasta. I liked this recipe but the kids didn't. I think it's more for adults. The original recipe calls for whole tomatoes which you then crush and reserve the liquid. I just used canned crushed tomatoes because I'm much too lazy to crush them myself.

Whole Grain Pasta with Chickpeas and Escarole
Serves 4

2 cups whole grain penne
1 head escarole, roughly chopped
4 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup capers, drained and patted dry
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15.5-oz can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, patted dry
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Prepare pasta according to the box it comes in but add the escarole the last 2 minutes, cover, and don't stir. Use tongs to remove the escarole and set aside. Drain pasta; save 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
2. Heat 1 tbs. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add capers and fry 2 minutes. Move to a paper towel lined plate.
3. Add 3 tbs. oil to skillet. Cook garlic, parsley, and red pepper flakes for 1 minute until the garlic is slightly toasted. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, pinch of salt, and bay leaves. Cook for 6 minutes until tomatoes and chickpeas brown. Add escarole and cook 4 more minutes until sauce thickens. Remove and throw away bay leaves.
4. Add cooked pasta to the skillet and toss with sauce. Season with salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water. Stir in cheese, top with fried capers, and sprinkle some more cheese on top.

 

Adapted from Great Easy Meals