chickpea and veggie pasta sauce

i made a huge pot of this a couple weeks ago when i had time to cook and froze it in 3-4 cup portions (about the size of one jar of spaghetti sauce).  this is a great "cleaning out the pantry & veggie drawers" recipe - you could probably put pretty near anything that sounds good to you in this sauce!

i pulled one out of the freezer today and mixed it with whole wheat fussili for a quick dinner (since i'm clearly too busy starting a new blog to cook anything more complicated!).  i love all the colour from the vegetables and the chickpeas give it just a bit more staying power.


Chick Pea and Veggie Pasta Sauce - makes approximately 10 cups

prep time: 30mins  cook time: 1 hour
adapted from: heart and stroke foundation

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 stocks of celery, chopped - i added this because i had celery that needed to be eaten!
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 zucchini, sliced
1 each sweet red & green peppers, chopped - i used one red and one yellow for more colour
2 cans (28oz/796mL) diced tomatoes - i actually found diced tomatoes with no added salt!
1/2 cup tomato paste, low sodium - i had some leftover from a previous recipe so i threw it in
1 can (19oz/540mL) chickpeas, drained and rinsed - you could use dried if you hydrate them overnight and cook for two hours first - obviously that takes a bit more preparation, but it's cheaper too.
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil - about 1 tbsp dried
1/4 cup chopped fresh italian parsley - about 2 tsp dried


In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and cook onion, carrot, celery, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes for about 5 minutes, or until softened.  Add zucchini and red and green peppers.  Cook, stirring for about 2 minutes, or until well coated.
Add tomatoes, chickpeas, basil and parsley and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer for about 1 hour or until thickened and vegetables are very tender.
Sauce can be served as is or pureed for a smoother, thicker sauce.  Simply ladle sauce into food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  Return to saucepan and heat through.
Storage: Let sauce cool to room temperature and place in freezer bags or airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months.