Orecchiette with Chickpeas and Feta

This quick chickpea pasta with feta is an easy dinner that’s full of fresh flavors. It’s a quick 20-minute dinner with orecchiette, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta cheese tossed with lemon juice that creates a very light sauce.

overhead photo of Orecchiette with Chickpeas, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Feta

Lately, I’ve been going through a lot of old posts with a chisel, reshaping and whittling them down to the original ideas. Some have been worth saving, but some, like boxes of miscellaneous clutter in the attic, just get tossed out. For example, a post about creme brulee in which I instruct the reader to just follow the recipe on the back of the vanilla bean package. That one didn’t make the cut.

But, for every post that meets its demise in the digital recycle bin, there are several more that just need some dusting off. One such recipe was a pasta with chickpeas and feta recipe that I posted five years ago this month.

Back when I first started blogging (circa 2009) I shared many “recipes” that weren’t really recipes in the traditional sense. Instead of listing out ingredients and how much to use of each I tended to just free-flow and write things out in a “little bit of this and a little of that” style which meant the recipe was buried in a dense paragraph requiring a pickaxe to excavate the details into a workable and clear set of instructions. This chickpea pasta is one such post that I’ve now updated with a proper (and printable!) recipe.

Chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, and lemon juice in a skillet

Orecchiette with Chickpeas and Feta

I share it now mostly as I originally made it, but with a different kind of pasta because I’ve learned it’s best to choose a pasta shape that complements the other ingredients. Here are some ingredients you’ll need…

  • Orecchiette is a small pasta shape also known as “little ears” because, well they look like little ears! The orecchiette works well here – the pasta sort of cradles all of the other ingredients in its little nook. I like to get the pasta boiling first and, while it cooks, the rest of the dish comes together.
  • Garlic and olive oil cook together in a skillet just until the garlic is fragrant. To it, add some chopped sun-dried tomatoes and chickpeas. You’re really just warming up the tomatoes and chickpeas, which only takes a minute or two.
  • Once the pasta is cooked I like to scoop it directly from the pasta water to the skillet. This ensures some of the starchy pasta water is transferred with it which helps create a light sauce. If you drain your pasta in a colander I recommend reserving a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water and add it, along with the pasta, to the pan.
  • The sauce is really light and is made with lemon juice. I like to add it right at the end along with some fresh chopped parsley. A few stirs and the chickpea pasta is ready to serve.
  • Top each serving with some crumbled feta cheese. The pasta is great served warm or at room temperature.

Happy Cooking,

close-up photo Orecchiette with Chickpeas and Feta on plate

More Easy Pasta Recipes

Orzo Pasta Salad | This is another recipe with chickpeas but served up pasta salad-style with broccoli, bell peppers, red onion and orzo. A tangy lemon-Dijon dressing pulls it all together.

34 Easy Pasta Recipes | I love easy pasta recipes so much I rounded-up 34 different ones for you to browse. Baked pasta, 5-ingredient pasta, one-pot pasta recipes, and pasta with creative sauces – there’s a little bit of everything. 

15-Minute Mediterranean Pasta | This easy pasta recipe uses mostly pantry ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and artichoke hearts. It takes all of 15 minutes to make!

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Orecchiette with Chickpeas and Feta

Orecchiette with Chickpeas, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Feta

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This simple pasta serves two and in the time it takes to boil the pasta the whole dish comes together. The garlic, chickpeas, and sun-dried tomatoes are warmed through in the olive oil as the pasta is cooking. From there, the pasta is added to the pan and tossed with some lemon juice, fresh parsley and garnished with crumbled feta.

  • Author: April @ Girl Gone Gourmet
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 ounces orecchiette
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

  1. Boil the pasta according to package directions (about 12 minutes).
  2. In a medium-sized pan, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium-low heat. When the garlic is fragrant add the sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, and salt and turn the heat to medium.
  3. Once the pasta is ready, transfer it to the pan using a slotted spoon. Stir the pasta together with the chickpeas, add the lemon juice and parsley and stir again to combine.
  4. Garnish each serving with the feta cheese.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
  • Calories: 571
  • Sugar: 7.2g
  • Fat: 22.4g
  • Carbohydrates: 76.9g
  • Fiber: 11g
  • Protein: 18.8g

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