Things are hectic right now. It seems like every minute during this season is filled with something, whether its shopping for Christmas presents, attending Christmas functions, watching Hallmark Christmas movies, or baking Christmas treats!

This time of year my diet consists of pumpkin - molasses cookies, espresso shortbread with butterscotch glaze, the bag of potato chips someone left at our house from our Christmas party (I don't even like potato chips but these are just so DELICIOUS), and citrus fruit.

Plus - healthifying Christmas treats is one of my favorite activities, which involves LOTS of taste testing, especially if I am sharing the recipe. Speaking of - stay tuned for a delicious, perfect, vegan gingerbread recipe!!

This is why it is KEY to have a couple healthy, easy, quick recipes on hand!

Here’s the deal; these savory crunchy chickpeas have been one of my staples this year, and it is easy to see why. These little guys are super versatile. You can eat them on their own (maybe I will add them to my Christmas goodie boxes!!), over pasta, with a runny egg, on a salad, and as a pizza topping!! I usually have all the ingredients on hand and its pretty quick to make!

My favorite way to eat these herby zesty chickpeas is over pasta, specifically bucatini. It makes for a warm, crunchy, EASY, relatively quick, meal that turns into fantastic leftovers.

If you can't find bucatini, use whole wheat fettuccine noodles! The bigger noodles act like belts and hold those chickpeas tightly in your pasta fork swirls!

Two quick tips for cooking the noodles:

1. Add plenty of salt to the water
2. Be sure to save some of the pasta water when you're straining the noodles! The water contains starch that helps the noodles bind with the suace.

In the winter time, I use homemade tomato sauce on the noodles.

You can easily make your own sauce with ingredients I bet you have on hand right now. I've included a quick recipe on the bottom of the page!

Don't have any tomato sauce on hand? No worries. This summer, we squeezed half a lemon, drizzled some olive oil, and sprinkled a little bit of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on the noodles before topping with chickpeas.

I love these crunchy, salty morsels. Be sure to shell your chickpeas, if you're really short on time or have developed carpal tunnel from toy making or wrapping presents, shell at least half of them!

Try soaking them in hot water to speed up the process. This does make them a little bit mushy, which translates into tiny crispy bits that cover each bite of your pasta. WORTH IT.

You know what? This just might be the perfect thing to eat after an afternoon of ice skating or sledding.

Stay warm and eat healthy! Make this for dinner or bring it to work for lunch! If you do, please let me know what you think or if you have any questions! Leave me a comment below! Make sure you're following me on Instagram @corrielanderson , post a photo of your beautiful creation, tag me, and use #itsallofit!

Crispy Herbed Chickpeas over Bucatini with Tomato Sauce

Recipe Author: Corrie Anderson
Recipe Type: EASIEST Lunch, Dinner, even Breakfast
Serves: 1 or 2

• 2 cans of 16 oz chickpeas, drained and shelled
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• sprinkle of red pepper flakes
• 1 - 2 cups fresh herbs, chopped (parsley. cilantro, mint, and oregano work best!)
• 1 teaspoon, fresh lemon zest
• 2 handfuls of hand torn kale or swiss chard
• Optional: freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• cooked buccatini or whole wheat fettuccine *
• 1 cup spaghetti sauce or drained fire roasted crushed tomatoes (**see below for a super easy way to make your own sauce!)

1. Be sure to shell chickpeas!! This is the true pathway to crispy chickpeas that will stay crispy for a couple of days. **True disclosure, mine have never lasted a couple of days. The max they’ve ever lasted is 48 hours.
2. Pour chickpeas, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir occasionally, until chickpeas are crispy. You will know they’re cooking when they start popping. Cook for about 10 – 15 minutes. Once they’re finished, add the chopped herbs and lemon zest, toss to coat chickpeas. Add the kale or swiss chard during this step if you’re using it, and cook until wilted.
3. While chickpeas are cooking, make your noodles. Be sure to add lots of salt to the water, and save some of the pasta water! Add noodles, a bit of pasta water, and tomato sauce to a saucepan. Warm up and then spoon into a bowl. Top with chickpeas!

**To make your own quick tomato sauce, sauté onions until they are translucent, add 1 smooshed garlic clove and 1 cup drained, diced fire crushed tomatoes. Cook for 5 – 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to your liking! Bonus: Add a splash of red or white wine with the tomatoes for some extra flavor!