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Chickpea Pasta Recipe with Feta is the perfect light, spring meal. Your favorite pasta is mixed with a creamy, lemon sauce, chickpeas, feta cheese and arugula. This is the perfect weeknight meal or an elegant way to celebrate.

CHICKPEA PASTA RECIPE WITH FETA 

Spring is in the air and that calls for light, lemony pasta dishes. 

Lemon mixed with feta cheese and pasta is my new favorite dish and today’s Chickpea Pasta Recipe with Feta is one I can’t stop making. 

You probably have seen the famous feta baked pasta dish that everyone is making these days. 

I must admit I love feta cheese in pasta.

To be honest I use feta in so many recipes from this Greek Village Salad, to this Mediterranean Bean Salad to this Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich. 

The American Dairy Association Mideast and I are partnering today to share this light, delicious and easy to make pasta dish with you guys. 

I live in Ohio and you probably know by now that Ohio and West Virginia are home to about 1,700 dairy farms.

I had the privilege of meeting some of the dairy farmers in Ohio and they are some of the hardest working, most passionate people I have ever met. 

They produce about 639 million gallons of milk each year. 

Milk actually makes it from Ohio and West Virginia dairy farms to your fridge in as little as 48 hours, making it a fresh source of high-quality protein. 

With three growing boys that are very active in sports dairy is a big part of our daily diets whether it is a pasta dish like this Chickpea Pasta Recipe with Feta, this Mediterranean Pasta or a big glass of milk. 

IS DAIRY NUTRITIOUS?

• Milk, cheese and yogurt contain a unique package of essential nutrients. Dairy’s unique nutrient package is hard to replace and is one of the most affordable and accessible ways of getting calcium, vitamin D and potassium — three of the four critical nutrients most often lacking in Americans’ diets.
• Using milk in recipes like sauces vs. water makes them creamier and adds nutrition, like in today’s recipe. Get ideas for easy hacks that make recipes tastier and add bone-building nutrients—simply by using milk! 
• There are more than 300 different cheeses in the U.S. With so many options, find the best cheese match for you, whether you are watching the amount of fat in your diet, trying to cut down on sodium or are lactose intolerant. 
• Did you know many award-winning cheeses are produced in Ohio? Check out our Ohio cheese guide featuring Ohio-made cheese gifts—or treat yourself! 
• How cheese should be stored depends on what type of cheese it is. Get tips for safely storing hard and soft cheeses to maximize freshness. 

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN THIS CHICKPEA PASTA RECIPE WITH FETA?

MILK: This recipe uses 2 % milk to help create a creamy but light sauce. You can substitute any dairy in. Keep in mind if you use skim milk it will have a thinner texture and a bit less flavor than the higher fat milks.

You can also substitute lactose free milk if you are lactose intolerant. The flavor will be a touch sweeter and the texture will be the same. 

CHEESE: I added feta cheese into this pasta. I love the saltiness of feta and when heated with the milk it creates a nice, creamy sauce.

You can use other cheeses like goat cheese, mozzarella or Parmesan cheese depending on your tastes. 

PASTA: When I make this dish I use a medium or large shaped pasta. You can use a smaller pasta shape like orzo but I think the ingredients hold up together better with a slightly larger pasta. 

ONION & GARLIC: I added shallot and garlic into this recipe for added flavor. It is optional for both.

You can use red or sweet onion in place of the shallots if you like. 

SPICES: For this dish I went pretty simple with the spices and just used Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper.

There are a variety of spices that would be nice additions from paprika, to sumac to za’atar. 

LEMON: This recipe is lemony and uses lemon juice and lemon zest.

Of course if you want less lemon flavor leave out the lemon zest and take the lemon juice down to 1 lemon. 

CHICKPEAS: I love adding chickpeas to pasta dishes. If you don’t like them you can leave them out or try cannelini beans. 

GREENS: When it comes to greens I often add them to pasta dishes. For today’s dish I used peppery arugula because I love the taste of it. You could also use spinach, kale or swiss chard. 

HERBS: Fresh herbs are the perfect finishing touch. I suggest fresh parsley and dill. I also think fresh basil and oregano are nice. 

HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS CHICKPEA PASTA RECIPE?

1. Generously salt a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and add the pasta in. Cook until just over al dente, making sure not to overcook. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water.

2. While the pasta is cooking heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and let melt.

3. Add the shallots and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to saute for another 2 minutes or until fragrant. Whisk in the flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.

4. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Add the milk and whisk until it starts to thicken. If you are using a lower fat milk you might have to whisk in 1 or 2 more Tablespoons of milk to thicken the sauce. If you think the sauce is too thick you can use the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce.

5. Add the Italian sesaoning and 3 ounces of feta cheese and let simmer for about 2 minutes.

6. When the pasta is done cooking reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta.

7. Stir in the pasta, chickpeas and arugula. Gently stir and serve warm.

8. Garnish with fresh parsley, crushed red pepper, pine nuts and extra lemon zest.

CAN I MAKE THIS RECIPE IF I AM LACTOSE INTOLERANT?

Yes! Don’t confuse lactose intolerance with having a food allergy.

Being lactose intolerant means you have a food sensitivity but can still enjoy lactose-free cow’s milk, like Lactaid, and other low lactose or lactose-free dairy foods.

Hard, naturally aged cheeses like Swiss, Colby or Cheddar are naturally low in lactose. In today’s recipe you can substitute the milk with lactose-free milk.

It works great and actually has a slightly sweeter flavor which makes a great addition to this pasta. 

Chickpea Pasta with Feta

Yield: 6-8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Chickpea Pasta Recipe with Feta is the perfect light, spring meal. Your favorite pasta is mixed with a creamy, lemon sauce, chickpeas, feta cheese and arugula. This is the perfect weeknight meal or an elegant way to celebrate.

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Ingredients

• 12 ounces of medium sized pasta
• 2 Tablespoons butter or you can use olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small shallot, diced {or you can use about 1/2 cup of sweet onion, diced}
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 lemons, juiced and the zest of 1 of the lemons
• 1 cup of 2 % milk or you can use cream for a creamier sauce
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour {you might need more if using a lower fat milk}
• 6 ounces of crumbled feta cheese, divided
• 1 - 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained
• 2 cups of arugula {or greens of your choice}
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Crushed red pepper {optional}
• Fresh herbs {like parsley, dill and basil}, chopped
• Pine nuts for garnish
• Lemon zest for garnish

Instructions

1. Generously salt a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and add the pasta in. Cook until just over al dente, making sure not to overcook.
2. While the pasta is cooking heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the butter or olive oil. Let the butter melt or the olive oil heat.
3. Add the shallots and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes or until fragrant. Whisk in the flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
4. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the milk and half of the lemon juice. Add the remaining 1 cup of milk and other half of the lemon juice whisking constantly.
5. Stir in the lemon zest and the 3 ounces of feta cheese stirring constantly until the sauce bubbles and starts to thicken.
   TIP: If you are using a lower fat milk you might have to whisk in 1 or 2 more Tablespoons of milk to thicken the sauce. If you think the sauce is too thick you can use the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce.
6. Add the Italian seasoning and let simmer for about 2 minutes stirring occasionally.
7. When the pasta is done cooking reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta.
8. Stir in the pasta, chickpeas, arugula with the sauce.
9. Gently stir. Add in 2 to 3 Tablespoons of reserved hot pasta water which contains salt and starch for extra flavor and texture in the sauce.
10. Sprinkle the remaining 3 ounces of feta cheese on the pasta dish.
11. Serve warm with fresh parsley, crushed red pepper, pine nuts and extra lemon zest.

Notes

I used 2% milk for the sauce but you can use lactose-free milk, cream or any milk. With lower fat milks you may need to add more flour to thicken the sauce. If you think the sauce is too thick you can use reserved pasta water.

Lactose- free milk works nicely as well but will have a slightly sweeter flavor.

If you don’t like as much of the lemon flavor you can cut the lemon juice down to 1 lemon.

For more information about dairy nutrition, to find delicious new recipes and to meet Ohio and West Virginia dairy farmers, visit www.Drink-MIlk.com, and follow the American Dairy Association Mideast on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Today’s post is sponsored by the American Dairy Association Mideast. All opinions are 100% my own.