Caponata-Style Chickpea Pasta (Vegan)
A deliciously tomatoey and rich Caponata-Style Chickpea Pasta sauce made with plant-based and high fibre ingredients. This pasta can be made ahead of time and is ready in about 30 minutes.
I love a good pasta, and caponata is such a great combination of flavours. It has the rich tomatoes, a briny saltiness from the capers, sweetness from the dates and more richness from the olives. It’s a delicious one to make ahead of time as the sauce will only get better as it sits. Serve with your favourite pasta shapes and then I love to add on some roasted aubergine and crumbled up tempeh or tofu. This is a vegetable-based tempeh, but you can use your favourite protein.
Why will I love this pasta?
This pasta is so good:
- Rich and tomatoey
- With lots of flavour from capers, olives and dates
- Sweet, salty, savoury and umami
- Naturally dairy-free, egg-free and vegan
- Easily gluten-free and nut-free
- With a protein boost from the tempeh and chickpeas
- You can use other proteins and beans
- A great source of fibre
- Everyone will love it
- You can make the sauce ahead of time
- Great for meal prep
- Stir through your favourite pasta shape
- Use a high fibre or high protein variety for a boost
- Ready in 30 minutes
- Great all year round
- Warming and delicious
- Made with a handful of ingredients
- The topping can be baked or air fried
- With aubergine for added plant points
If you already love the sound of this pasta dish, then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
You can see the ingredients with weights in the recipe card below and see my favourite and recommended products in the “shop the recipe” section.
For the topping:
- Aubergine: I love roasted aubergine as it turns so tender and slightly charred.
- Tempeh or tempeh: I used a vegetable (rather than soy) based tempeh which worked well but tofu would also be great. Or, skip the topping and have the pasta on its own.
- Sweet smoked paprika: for a boost of flavour.
- Olive oil: or your preferred cooking oil.
- Salt and pepper: to season.
For the pasta sauce:
- Red onion: or shallots.
- Garlic: for flavour.
- Spices and herbs: a mix of dried basil and sweet smoked paprika.
- Dates: for sweetness. Raisins or sultanas will also work well.
- Capers: for flavour.
- Olives: pitted and chopped.
- Chopped tomatoes: for tomatoey goodness.
- Balsamic vinegar: for richness and flavour.
- Chickpeas: for a boost of protein and added fibre. I use the Bold Bean Co chickpeas, but I also love this with cannellini or butter beans.
- Fresh parsley or basil: to stir through at the end.
- Pasta: use your preferred shapes (I used small shells).
Is this gluten-free and nut-free?
This is easily gluten-free, as long as you use GF pasta and this is naturally nut-free.
How do I make this?
This is ready in a few steps:
- Chop up the aubergine and crumble the tempeh: and toss in the seasoning.
- Bake or air fry until tender: about 15-20 minutes.
- Fry off the onion and garlic in a saucepan for the sauce: and then add the seasoning.
- Add in the other ingredients: and allow the sauce to simmer.
- Cook the pasta: according to packet instructions.
- Add the pasta to the sauce with most of the fresh herbs and some aubergine: and stir well.
- Spoon the pasta into bowls: topping with the aubergine and tempeh.
How long will it last?
This will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge in a sealed container and allow to warm back up in a saucepan.
What other recipes can I try?
For more pasta dishes:
- Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Pasta
- Courgette and Chickpea Pasta with Creamy Herby Pasta
- Mediterranean Crispy Gnocchi Pasta Salad with Creamy Hummus
- Creamy Tomato Sauce Pasta with Courgettes and Corn
- Marry Me Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato and Bean Pasta
Caponata-Style Chickpea Pasta (Vegan)
A deliciously tomatoey and rich Caponata-Style Chickpea Pasta sauce made with plant-based and high fibre ingredients. This pasta can be made ahead of time and is ready in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
To Bake/Air Fry:
- 1 small aubergine, in cubes
- 100g tempeh or tofu, crumbled
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
For the Pan:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Spices: 1 tsp dried basil and ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 3 dates, pitted and chopped small
- 1 tbsp capers, chopped
- 60g pitted olives, sliced
- 1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tin chickpeas (240g drained weight)
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley and/or basil
- 160g pasta shapes
Instructions
- Start with the air fryer (or oven*) aubergine and tempeh. Use two trays (whatever fits best in your air fryer) and add the aubergine cubes to one and the tempeh crumbles to the other. Drizzle all of it with olive oil and the paprika and season with salt and pepper. Air fry the aubergine for 15-20 minutes, until tender and crisping up, where as the tempeh will take about 10 minutes. Toss both halfway through cooking.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. Add the olive oil to a large non-stick pan and once hot, add the onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Fry off for 5 minutes and then add the dried basil and paprika and fry for 1 minute.
- Add in the dates, capers, olives, chopped tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and chickpeas and fill up the tin of tomatoes ½ way with water and add this in. Stir well and add a lid half on and allow to bubble over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Cook the pasta while the sauce cook, according to packet instructions. Save 60ml of the pasta cooking water when draining the cooked pasta.
- Once cooked, add the pasta and most of the aubergine to the sauce with the fresh herbs and the reserved water. Stir well.
- Spoon the pasta onto plates and top with the leftover aubergine, the tempeh crumbles and some more black pepper.
- Enjoy straight away, or allow to cool and keep in the fridge in a sealed container for 2-3 days or the freezer for 1 month. Allow to defrost and then warm back up with a splash of water to re-heat.
Notes
*preheat the oven then bake at 180Fan/200ºC for 15-20 minutes.
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Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of this Caponata-Style Chickpea Pasta so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review. If you do make this, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With pasta love x
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