Spicy Chickpea Pasta Bowls

For the pasta choice here I like to use a short, dried pasta - you see pachieri pictured above, but a ziti or penne is an equally good choice. Another favorite is this whole grain reginetti.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons harissa, plus more for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 14- ounce can chickpeas, drained
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 12 ounces dried short pasta (penne, ziti, etc.)
• 1 medium cucumber, seeded, quartered, thinly sliced
• 1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup (store-bought) crispy fried onions
• 1/2 cup toasted cashews, chopped
• 1/3 cup feta, crumbled

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. While the pasta water is heating, go ahead and make the sauce. Combine the harissa, lemon juice, 1/3 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, half of the chickpeas, and the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Puree until smooth with a hand blender. Add the olive oil and blend until mixture lightens a bit and becomes creamy. Set aside.
3. Salt the water and boil the pasta per package instructions. Drain and return the pasta to the pot over low heat (reserve 1/3 cup of pasta water in case you want to loosen thing up a bit later). Pour the sauce over the pasta and gently fold together. Stir until everything is well coated and heated through. Fold in most of the cucumber, cilantro, and all of the remaining chickpeas.
4. Serve topped with any remaining cilantro and cucumber, the crispy fried onions, cashews, and feta. An added swipe of harissa and squeeze of lemon is a nice finishing touch for each serving as well.

Notes