Spiralized Root Vegetable Pasta with Crispy Chickpeas and Walnut Pangrattato

This recipe title is a mouthful, I know. And it really should be even longer because it's technically a walnut gremolata pangrattato. Ouch. So many big words for such a simple and easy to make dish. Healthy, filling, delicious and on the table in 30 minutes. Let's discuss, shall we?

Gremolata is a combination of minced garlic lemon zest and parsley that's usually served with meat, to cut the richness. Pangrattato is a toasted breadcrumb mixture that's typically sprinkled over pasta although it's great over vegetables as well. I like them both so I just combined them. Gremottato? Pangralata? No, huh?

Whatever we're calling this, it's really good and it added some zing to a simple dish. The choice of vegetables you spiralize is yours. You can go sweeter with carrots and butternut squash but I thought the sweet potato gave it some bulk and I absolutely love parsnip. The turnip is optional but it has a nice mild flavor so it was a good base for the crispy topping, made extra crispy with the addition of the walnuts. If you're serving this as a side dish, you can skip the chickpeas but as a lunch or main course at dinner, I think they're needed. Plus I love those, too.

You can also use a julienne peeler to make the noodles but spiralizers are not very expensive and I find myself using mine a lot. I'm sure all the brands are fine but I've put a link to the one I own at the bottom of the recipe. Enjoy!

Yield: 4 Servings

Author: Anita Schecter

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Spiralized Root Vegetable Pasta with Crispy Chickpeas and Walnut Pangrattato

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 30 Min

Recipe for spiralized sweet potatoes and parsnips with chickpeas and a crispy breadcrumb topping.

Ingredients

• 1 Sweet potato, peeled
• 1 Parsnip, peeled
• 1 Turnip, peeled
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the Crispy Chickpeas:

• 1 Can (approx. 15 oz.) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the Pangrattato:

• 2 Cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/4 Cup walnuts
• 2 Slices of your favorite bread, torn into pieces
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons chopped parsley, divided

Instructions

1. Peel the vegetables and spiralize them. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pan, add the spiralized veggie noodles and saute for 5 - 10 minutes, tossing frequently with tongs, on medium heat. Lower the heat and cover the pan to allow the vegetables to soften. After about 5 minutes, remove the lid, toss and check for your desired doneness. Season with salt and pepper.
2. While the vegetables are cooking, crisp up the chickpeas by adding them and the tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet or cast iron pan. Saute on high for about 5 minutes, stirring often, and season with salt and pepper. Remove the chickpeas to a separate plate.
3. Make the topping by adding the garlic, walnuts and bread pieces to a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the tablespoon of olive oil to the pan you crisped the chickpeas in along with the lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of the parsley. Saute on high for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until the bread begins to brown slightly. Be careful not to burn it.
4. Add the chickpeas to the cooked vegetable noodles and toss with the breadcrumb mixture. Sprinkle on the remaining tablespoon of fresh parsley.

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