Chick-A-What? Chick-A-Who? Did you say chickpeas and lasagna?

As I began thinking about what I wanted to write for my first post, the chickpea was the first item that came to mind.  If you asked Biz to guess the topic of my first post, he'd say, "She's probably going to make it all about pasta" (insert eye roll here).  Nine times out of ten, he'd probably be right; and that's exactly what got me to thinking about what I could do differently.  I know a pasta-heavy diet is not cholk-full of nutrients, so I got to thinking...what could I possibly substitute in it's place?

What

about

CHICKPEAS?

The Guest Du Jour

I can't tell you the exact moment that I first consumed chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), but I do remember thinking, "where have you been all my life?" It is a lovely legume that I have come to appreciate for all its versatility.  Chickpeas can be served cooked, baked, roasted, fried, blended, the possibilities are endless!  They're full of zinc, folate, and protein, polyunsaturated fat (good fat) and low in calories.  

With that in mind, I was off to the drawing board to figure out how I was going to make this work.  I thought about what kind of pasta dish would allow for an easy substitute and could remain relatively healthy, as I am trying to promote the benefits of substituting my precious pasta with a bean.

Then it hit me, what about using the ingredients typically found in a lasagna!  Thus, Chicksagna was born!  Here's what you'll need:

Chicksagna

Ingredients:

1 8x8 baking dish

2 cans of chickpeas

3/4lbs ground turkey

1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce

1/2c Low-fat ricotta cheese

2-3Tbsp pesto

2Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/4c diced carrots

1/4c diced yellow onion

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and set aside while you dice your carrots and onions. In a medium pan, heat your oil and saute your carrots and onions on medium heat, until softened (the carrots will help to cut down the acidity from the marinara sauce).

While those are cooking, combine your ricotta and pesto sauce in a small bowl.  

               

Then add your ground turkey to the saute pan to brown and season to taste.  I didn't spoon out the fat because there wasn't very much, but if you're using beef, you may want to.  Once cooked, add about half the jar of marinara and continue cooking until it's heated through.

Now you're ready to begin layering.  Pour just enough marinara from your jar into your baking dish to coat the bottom.  Then pour in and spread out half of your chickpeas.

Then add your layer of meat mixture, followed by some of your ricotta mixture, then sprinkle with mozzarella.  You should have enough to last you for two total layers.

On your final layer, pour in any remaining sauce from your jar.  Then sprinkle with Parmesan.  Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes.

  

Presto!  You have a healthy alternative to a common pasta dish.

Now I know it's not the same layers of flavor you may be used to, and this is more a bowl-friendly dish, but it was a hit with Biz and it's so much more healthy.  You could serve it along side some roasted veggies or a light green salad.  I'd love to hear your thoughts if you decide to try it.  Are there any recipes involving chickpeas that you've been dying to try?  If so, I'd love to hear about them!