| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 42 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 22 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole-grain penne
- 1 head escarole, roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
- 1/4 cup capers, drained and patted dry (optional)
- 5 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 28 -ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed slightly, liquid reserved
- 1 15 .5-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions; add the escarole during the last 2 minutes, cover and do not stir. Remove the escarole with tongs; set aside. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Meanwhile, if you’re using capers, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the capers and fry until crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
- Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil to the skillet. Cook the garlic, parsley and red pepper flakes until the garlic toasts slightly, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, a pinch of salt and the bay leaves. Cook until the tomatoes and chickpeas brown, about 6 minutes. Add the escarole and reserved tomato juice and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 4 more minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss with the sauce; season with salt and pepper. (If the sauce is thick, add some reserved pasta water.) Stir in the cheese and top with fried capers, if using, and more cheese.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 540 |
| Total Fat | 19 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 4 grams |
| Cholesterol | 9 milligrams |
| Sodium | 800 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 79 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 15 grams |
| Protein | 21 grams |
Reviews
This is very good, and so simple and quick. As someone else had mentioned, I sautéed the escarole in evoo with some salt instead of cooking with the pasta-gives it great flavor. Everything else was as per the recipe. A nice change-up when looking for something lighter.
This is a good recipe because the pasta is wholegrain it fills you up more and for longer.
Really yummy! Lots of flavors. The escarole cooked down a lot, though, and became kind of flavorless.
I made this for a weeknight dinner for a family of 4. I would say it was creative but didn’t really deliver on flavor. I will qualify my review because I used Chicory in place of escarole because was not available. It was not horrible by any means but I doubt I would make this again. It just didn’t really stand out from other pasta dishes.
I made this last night with one addition. I browned up a 1/4 lb. of chopped pancetta first and then set it aside on a paper towel lined plate. Then using the same pan, I sauteed the garlic, parlsey, red pepper and everything else according to the recipe. I added the pancetta back in with the escarole and reserved tomato juice. It was sooo good! Very hearty and comfy. The pancetta gave it a little bit of meatiness but I didn’t really add a lot so I think it would still be good without that addition :
Sauce was excellent, but you can keep the whole grain pasta. Will use regular pasta next time.
First of all, loved the fried capers! My only negative mark would be the escarole. It didn’t lend that much flavor to the dish, and it was still kind of bitter tasting. Next time, for palette pleasing reasons I would definately substitute spinach, and sautee the spinach first. But over all I really liked it, and would definately make this dish again.
I dont think it was amazing, but it was ok. I had never tasted bay leaves before and i found out i dont like them. i also substituded spinach for escarole and i fried the capers. im glad i tried it though.
This was a great recipe. I also used spinach instead of escarole and it turned out great.
mmm it was delish! I used spinach in place of escarole. The dish was filling felt hardy with the beans… the fried capers added nice flavor and texture! I will def be making this again!