I wanted to call this Pandemic Pasta because this recipe was created during the lockdown, but it’s not the most appetizing name. Mala used Spring as her inspiration for this phenomenal dish, which is light, but also packed with flavor. My immediate reaction was, “Again, please!” So it’s secured its place in the regular rotation.

You can use any pasta you want, but this sauce goes especially well with shells and elbows. Also, use regular broccoli or broccolini. Our grocery store was out of the former, but the kids love broccolini, too (especially when we call it “baby broccoli”), so it was an easy substitution. Finally, we had red miso on hand, but you can use any kind.

1 small can chickpeas
1 package pasta
1 med-large head broccoli or bunch broccolini
1 medium zucchini
1 lemon
turmeric
miso
dill
tahini
olive, avocado, or grapeseed oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse the chickpeas and place in a bowl. Add 1 T. of your favorite oil. 1 T. miso, 1 T. dill, 1. t. turmeric and toss. Place on a baking sheet (we cover ours with parchment paper) and bake for about 15 minutes. Shake the pan to mix up the chickpeas and bake for about another 10 minutes. You want them lightly crisp, but not crunchy.

Cook the pasta, rinse, and set it aside.

Lightly steam the broccoli and set aside.

Slice the zucchini and sauté lightly in a little oil or bouillon.

In a separate bowl, make the sauce: Combine 2 T. tahini, juice from 1/2 lemon, 1 T. dill, 1 t. miso, 1 T. oil. Taste and adjust per your preference.

Combine the pasta, chickpeas, broccoli, and zucchini and toss with sauce to coat everything evenly. If it’s dry, squeeze in some more lemon juice.

Voila! Enjoy.