Rigatoni with chickpeas, yellow-eyed peas & spinach
Mixing a variety of beans with different textures can make a very appealing dish. I love the texture of the chickpeas with the buttery flavor of the yellow-eyed peas. The sundried tomatoes that are added at the end add another nice chewy texture to this dish.
Ingredients
1 lb. dried chickpeas
1 lb. dried yellow-eyed peas
1 large Vidalia onion, diced
3 celery stalks, sliced
2. t. salt
¼ t. ground pepper
2 – 3 cloves minced, garlic (optional)
1 T. Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base
2 T. dried vegetable flakes
1 t. dried parsley
3 ½ oz. pkg. julienned sundried tomatoes
1 pkg. fresh spinach
1 lb. whole wheat rigatoni
Instructions
Rinse and sort the beans, and follow package directions for either a quick soak or an overnight soak. Rinse soaked beans then place back in large stock pot with salt, onion, salt, pepper, garlic, bouillon, vegetable flakes and parsley. Pour enough water in the pot to cover all of the beans by at least 2 inches, the beans will soak up more water. Cook on low, with lid for 4 to 5 hours until beans are done. Add the sundried tomatoes once the beans have cooked completely.
Cook rigatoni according to directions. Make sure not to over cook the pasta since you will go into bean mixture. When finished cooking, gently stir into beans along with the spinach. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Ladle into pasta serving bowls and serve.
