Meatless Monday got away from me. The year started like a car on a cold day: fits and spurts, but without a lot of regularity. I think we have finally gotten into the groove for 2015 and can safely say that Meatless Monday is going to resume in this regular space.

And that’s good because I have a cabinet full of chickpeas that need to be dispensed with. The Wife, told me this summer that she wanted me to make her hummus so she could eat and pick at it during the week while home. The thing is that by the time we tied up all of our travel for June and July, enough chickpeas to make hummus for months, but only a few weeks of summer remaining. And then, as I do often, I forgot about the blue cans of Goya garbanzos on my back porch.

I turned to this recipe in order thin out the herd and return some routine to our Monday dinners.

WHAT WORKED: The sauce made with the broth and chickpeas is salty and thick. Awesome.

WHAT DIDN’T: The batch of rappi was really dirty. Took me twice as long to clean it as I planned.

EASE OF PREPARATION: Medium, thanks to all of that cleaning.

BEST FOR: Meatless Monday or a weeknight when you need something quick to cook.

SERVE WITH: Soft-sided Italian bread and a glass of semi-dry wine.

Orecchiette with Rappi and Chickpeas

Adapted from Health.com

kosher salt

16 oz. orecchiette

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

15 oz. can chickpeas, drained

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz. rappi, cleaned, tough stems removed, and leaves coarsely chopped

3 cups low sodium vegetable broth

grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt it well, then add the pasta. Cook 1-2 minutes less than al dente, according to the package’s directions.

In the meantime, bring oil to a shimmer in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas and cook until just turning brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the rappi and toss with the chickpeas. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer 5 minutes.

Drain the pasta and transfer to the chickpeas and rappi. Toss to combine, then cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until the liquid has thickened into a starchy sauce. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with grated cheese.