Jump to Recipe

This delectable pesto pasta recipe is so simple and so delicious that it has become a regular weeknight dinner for us. With fragrant pesto, the satisfying crunch of chickpeas, and the caramelized sweetness of roasted tomatoes, this dish is sure to impress your taste buds. Plus, it’s healthy, quick to throw together, the kids love it, it’s vegetarian, and it’s inexpensive. It is an all-around winner.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you shop from one of our links, we may earn a commission.

---

BABY STEPS:
This dinner is so easy and quick to throw together that it’s the perfect for letting your kiddo help with the prep.
● Engage your child in the kitchen by assigning them the task of washing and prepping the vegetables. They can rinse the cherry tomatoes, drain the chickpeas, and remove the stems from the basil leaves.
● Let your child make the pesto sauce. Show them how to measure and combine the ingredients in a blender or food processor. They can push the buttons and watch as the ingredients blend into a vibrant green sauce.
● Have them season the tomatoes and chickpeas before they go into the oven. And toss both by hand to get everything coated! They’ll love it.

Remember to provide appropriate supervision and guidance while involving your child in the cooking process to ensure their safety and to make it an enjoyable and educational experience for both of you.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 15 oz can chickpeas (or approximately two cups of cooked chickpeas)
• olive oil
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan (plus more for garnish)
• salt
• pepper
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (or other small tomatoes)
• 1 lb spaghetti noodles (or other pasta)
• ½ cup pesto (freshly prepared or store bought–I make and freeze mine in cubes)

SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT:
● Measuring cups
● Oven mitts
● Kid-safe knives
● Blender or food processer (this one does both!)
● Kids’ stool

INSTRUCTIONS

Drain, rinse, and dry your chickpeas. The dryer you can get them, the crispier they will be.

Preheat your oven to 375° and line two baking sheets with foil. Oil one of the baking sheets (for the chickpeas).

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add the dried chickpeas to the oiled baking sheet. Drizzle them generously with olive oil. Toss them with the Italian seasoning, ¼ cup of parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste (I used ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper).

Add the cherry tomatoes to the second baking sheet and toss with a generous drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste (again, approximately ½ a teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper).

Put both baking sheets in the preheated oven. The tomatoes will be done in 15-18 minutes and the chickpeas in 18-20 minutes. Give them both a shake around the 10 minute mark. The tomatoes are done when they are leaking their juices and are wrinkled in appearance. The chickpeas are done when they are golden brown.

While the chickpeas and tomatoes are roasting, cook your pasta according to package directions in the boiling salt water. Cook it to al dente and reserve ½ a cup of the pasta water.

Add the pesto to the cooked pasta and stir to coat the noodles. If you need to thin it out for it to fully coat the noodles, add a splash of the reserved pasta water.

Serve the pasta in bowls with the roasted chickpeas and tomatoes on top and a generous sprinkling of parmesan.

SERVE WITH: Homemade sourdough (see my post here on making and keeping your starter alive!) / A big green salad / Roasted veggies

Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it turned out for you below! If you liked it, please take a picture and share it on Instagram with the tag #afamilythateatstogether