Chickpea Pasta with Spinach

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sea salt , divided
• 1 package linguine pasta , 16 ounce
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil , or more as desired
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 bag baby spinach leaves , 10 ounce
• 3 large tomatoes , seeded and diced
• 1 can chickpeas , 15 ounce
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram , or more to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 0.5 teaspoons red pepper flakes , Optional
• 0.25 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese , or to taste

Instructions

1. 1

   Gather the ingredients.

2. 2

   Bring a large pot of water with 2 teaspoons salt to a boil. Cook pasta at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 to 11 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir garlic in hot oil until fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and add spinach, tomatoes, and chickpeas; cook and stir until spinach begins to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes more.

4. 4

   Season spinach mixture with remaining teaspoon sea salt, marjoram, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low. Stir drained pasta with spinach mixture to evenly coat.

5. 5

   Add extra olive oil or reserved pasta water to achieve preferred level of moisture in the dish. Top with grated Pecorino Romano cheese.