Reviewed: Aug. 3, 2009

I really enjoyed this recipe and my husband complimented it as well! I followed the directions except using a different shaped pasta and substituted arugula for spinach. We will make this again!

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Daniel den Hoed

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Spijkenisse, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

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Reviewed: Jun. 29, 2009

This was really good. It felt kind of healthy since it wasn't loaded down with a heavy sauce or lots of cheese. I cut the recipe down quite a bit for just my husband and I, and there was still tons left over. I used the juice of one whole lemon, 3 cloves of garlic, and added some chopped tomato and marinated artichoke hearts to give the dish some added "oomph". My husband drizzled some good balsamic vinegar on it too and loved it.

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KOALAGIRL

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

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Reviewed: May 4, 2008

I made this scaled to 8 servings. It is wonderful, fresh and delicious! Even though scaled to 8 servings, it is a heft amount, something to think about when you decide to make this recipe and there is only 4 to serve! I didn't add or delete anything, but I was thinking it might be nice to add a little parmesan to the finished product? My husband didn't think so, he thought it was perfect just the way it was made. The lemon adds just the right amount of zing, don't forget that! I almost did, and when added, defintely brightened up the flavors!

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ARCELI6

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

Living In: Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 26, 2008

Really good recipe. Nice, simple flavors; an excellent light dinner. For a more filling entree, I would add a grilled chicken breast. Also, next time I might substitute great northern or cannellini beans for the garbanzo just for the smoother texture. Also, I agree with others that you should add the garbanzo beans to the boiling pasta because I think their texture should be softer. Overall, a very delicious and healthy pasta dish. To make it even healthier, I omitted the olive oil and used a little broth (maybe if I used the oil I would have given it 5 stars!). I added some hot sauce just to give it some heat, but I liked the recipe as is, too.

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A. Swigart

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Reviewed: Jan. 12, 2008

This was so simple and delicious! I forgot to buy lemon, so I used some white wine vinegar and it was fine. Even the kids liked it. I wouldn't have minded an addition of grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes sliced in half. Would have made it pretty and would taste great.

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KarenK

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Living In: Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada

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Reviewed: Oct. 15, 2007

This recipe has become an absolute staple in my expanding "repertoire". It's simple, kinda sorta healthy and tastes great. The only problem is, I alwasy make too much!

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Alittlebit

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Mchenry, Illinois, USA

Living In: Chicago, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 30, 2007

This was sooooo good! I brought the leftovers to work for lunch for a few days and I really looked forward to eating it! I will definitely make this again. I used low-fat feta and it was still great!

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Arielle

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Living In: New Haven, Connecticut, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 30, 2006

Garlic lovers will love this salad. I cool the pasta with cold water before mixing with the spinach to avoid wilting the spinach. One can of beans is sufficient, but two are great too if you like beans. I double the dressing since the pasta and feta absorb a lot of it.

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MKELLE5

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Reviewed: Aug. 9, 2006

It's a huge HIT! I made this recipe for two different parties and never brought home leftovers. So far I have passed the recipe on to about 7-8 people who have called asking for it. I'd suggest using fresh lemon; the stuff in the lemon-shaped container just can't quite cut it.

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Gillian

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Reviewed: Jul. 12, 2006

Very good. I cut the pasta amount in half, and used about 3/4 of one 15.5 oz can of garbanzos (rinsed). I used about 1/2 of a 6 oz. bag of baby spinach, and could've (should've) used the whole bag. I also took the suggestion of a previous reviewer and emulsified the dressing in my mini Cuisinart. Placed the lemon juice, salt, pepper and crushed garlic (used 3 cloves) in the Cuisinart, and drizzle the olive oil in to make a vinaigrette. Stayed creamy, mixed well. Also added 1/8 - 1/4 t. of hot pepper flakes. Careful - too much will kill this dish. Also boiled the beans for the last 5 min. w/the pasta. Nice touch. Drained the pasta/beans, mixed with the spinach and garlic/herb feta, and drizzled with the vinaigrette. A little dry, but great flavor. You could moisten this dish with a few tablespoons of the pasta water or make a little more dressing. I'll probably do that next time. Great flavors! Try it!

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j

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Jul. 3, 2006

Great quick vegetarian recipe... I love that you can just mix everything right into the pasta at the end without using another pan. However, I thought the 4 cloves of garlic were too strong, especially crushed, since we were still biting into big chunks of almost-raw garlic. Next time, would mince and possibly saute the garlic. Also, would consider using artichoke hearts in addition to or instead of the beans.

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AKVANDER

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Tucson, Arizona, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 1, 2006

I was sure I had the garbanzo beans, but I was all out, so I substituted black beans instead. Delicious!

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MommaKass

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Reviewed: Jun. 7, 2006

Mm, that was lush! I used wholemeal pasta, wilted the spinach in the hot pasta for two minutes, and added a tablespoon of green pesto at the end.

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ABSNASM

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Reviewed: May 31, 2006

I rarely get such an exuberant response from my husband about meals I make...he couldn't stop raving about how good this was! And, it was so quick and easy to make, too...a perfect recipe! I followed other reviewers' suggestions and added the chickpeas to the boiling pasta for 5 minutes. I also garnished with red pepper flakes, which I'd highly recommend; it really made the dish. Also, I followed the recipe for lemon juice amount, but both my husband and I used our lemon garnishes to add more lemon juice. In the future, I'd probably double the lemon amount. One other note: 8 cups cooked cavatappi is a one pound box. I used one 9 oz. bag of spinach...not sure if that was 8 cups or not but it seemed right. Thanks for the recipe!

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Cardamum

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Buffalo, New York, USA

Living In: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

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Reviewed: May 30, 2006

Really flavorful and really easy. One of the best recipes I have made from this site, for sure. The hot pepper flakes as suggested are a great addition.

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BB

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Reviewed: May 21, 2006

Really tasty and simple, I used a bag of baby spinach and added a tin of halved grape tomatoes. If you choose to add the tomatoes, it's okay to use one can of chickpeas but it needs it otherwise (at least if it is functioning as a vegetarian main dish).

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TRILLIAN42

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Reviewed: Apr. 18, 2006

This was good but I found only one can of chick peas to be enough, and I also added red pepper flakes to give it extra flavor. Additionally, I used Athenos feta with lemon, garlic & oregano.

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Lena

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Apr. 8, 2006

I made this exactly as the recipe states. My husband and I love the fresh taste.

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SSZUREK

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Reviewed: Mar. 28, 2006

Fabulous and easy recipe! My husband had seconds. I doubled the dressing, though, because the recipe as shown was a bit on the dry side. I followed the advice of previous reviewers and boiled the chickpeas with the pasta for the last 5 minutes of cook time. I also added some oregano and a pinch of red pepper flakes for extra kick. This will definitely become a regular menu item at my house. Yum!

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Monzie

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Reviewed: Mar. 28, 2006

This was delicious. I also boiled the chick peas for +/- 5 mins to soften them. It came together easily and was really good. I think that this recipe has a lot of potential...you could add or change ingredients to your own liking easily and with great results.

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