Chickpea Pasta with Almonds and Parmesan

This dish came out of the current Real Simple January issue (p. 123) under their "all-time reader favorites." I was intrigued, so I decided to try the recipe. Turned out damn tasty. Even better was that the fact that the dish, start to finish, took only 20 minutes to make. Cooking the noodles in the broth provides great flavor and the crushed red pepper gives the dish a nice spicy kick.

Serves 2 main course portions (with probably a little left over).

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
Kosher salt
8 ounces (half box) angel hair (or capellini) pasta
1/2 can of chickpeas (garbanzos), rinsed
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/8 cup roasted almonds, chopped

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute (do not let the garlic brown). Add the broth, red pepper, and pinch of salt. Bring to a boil.

Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broth is nearly absorbed and the pasta al dente, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and parsley. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and almonds before serving.

To view Real Simple's top-50 recipes of 2008, click here. (Also, I cut this recipe in half, so if you're looking to make 4 - 6 portions, click here.