Hearty, budget-friendly pasta tossed with garlic-infused olive oil, crispy chickpeas and tender lentils, brightened with lemon and finished with a runny egg and crunchy breadcrumbs.
Pantry Pasta with Crispy Chickpeas, Lentils & a Runny Egg
A thrifty, deeply flavorful weeknight skillet that turns canned beans, a lemon, and an egg into something totally comforting and worth repeating.
This is the kind of dinner that lives in your pantry and surprises you: modest ingredients—canned chickpeas and lentils, dried pasta, olive oil, garlic—become a plate that feels indulgent, not expensive. The garlic oil provides an aromatic, savory backbone while a squeeze of lemon and a handful of parsley keep the whole dish bright and lively. It’s exactly the sort of meal you make on a busy night when you want something warm, filling, and quick.
Texture is the star. Pat the chickpeas dry and let them crisp until they rattle in the pan; they add nutty crunch against tender lentils and al dente pasta. Toasted breadcrumbs bring another layer of crackle (and a great use for stale bread), and grated Parmesan ties everything together with salty richness. The trick to glossy, saucy pasta is reserving some of the starchy cooking water and adding it to the garlic-infused oil so everything emulsifies without needing cream.
Don’t rush the garlic—cook it gently over medium-low so it turns golden and fragrant without burning. Finish each bowl with a runny egg cracked over the top so the yolk melts into a silky sauce, and scatter parsley, lemon zest, and extra breadcrumbs for contrast. If you like heat, a pinch of red pepper flakes wakes up the savory notes without stealing the show.
This recipe is forgiving: use any short pasta, swap brown lentils for canned ones, or make the chickpeas ahead and re-crisp them just before serving. Leftovers reheat well (stir in a splash of water and warm gently), and the components—toasted crumbs, cooked lentils—can be prepped in advance to shave off weekday time. Economical, textural, and bright, it’s a pantry dinner that proves thrift and flavor can be best friends.
Ingredients
How to Make Penny-Wise Pasta Ceci Garlic Oil
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously (about half the kosher salt). Add the pasta and cook until just shy of al dente per package directions; reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta.
- While the pasta cooks, drain and rinse the chickpeas and lentils; pat the chickpeas dry with a towel to help them crisp.
- Heat a large wide skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; when warm, add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring frequently, until golden and crisp, 3–4 minutes; transfer breadcrumbs to a bowl and wipe the pan clean.
- Return the skillet to medium-low and add the remaining olive oil. Add the garlic sliced thin and red pepper flakes and cook gently until the garlic turns light golden and fragrant, about 1–2 minutes—don’t let it brown.
- Increase heat to medium, add the chickpeas and lentils to the skillet, and sauté 4–6 minutes until the chickpeas develop some color and the lentils are warmed through; season with half the kosher salt and the black pepper and squeeze in half the lemon.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet with a splash of the reserved pasta water (start with 1/3 cup) and the grated Parmesan; toss vigorously off the heat until the sauce emulsifies and coats the pasta, adding more pasta water if needed to loosen.
- In a small nonstick pan, fry the eggs in a little oil to your liking (sunny-side or over-easy recommended) so the yolks remain runny, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper.
- Divide the pasta among four bowls, top each with a fried egg, a sprinkle of toasted breadcrumbs and chopped parsley, and a final squeeze of lemon; adjust seasoning and drizzle a little extra olive oil if desired.
Recipe Card
Penny-Wise Pasta Ceci Garlic Oil
Hearty, budget-friendly pasta tossed with garlic-infused olive oil, crispy chickpeas and tender lentils, brightened with lemon and finished with a runny egg and crunchy breadcrumbs.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously (about half the kosher salt). Add the pasta and cook until just shy of al dente per package directions; reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta.
- While the pasta cooks, drain and rinse the chickpeas and lentils; pat the chickpeas dry with a towel to help them crisp.
- Heat a large wide skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; when warm, add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring frequently, until golden and crisp, 3–4 minutes; transfer breadcrumbs to a bowl and wipe the pan clean.
- Return the skillet to medium-low and add the remaining olive oil. Add the garlic sliced thin and red pepper flakes and cook gently until the garlic turns light golden and fragrant, about 1–2 minutes—don’t let it brown.
- Increase heat to medium, add the chickpeas and lentils to the skillet, and sauté 4–6 minutes until the chickpeas develop some color and the lentils are warmed through; season with half the kosher salt and the black pepper and squeeze in half the lemon.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet with a splash of the reserved pasta water (start with 1/3 cup) and the grated Parmesan; toss vigorously off the heat until the sauce emulsifies and coats the pasta, adding more pasta water if needed to loosen.
- In a small nonstick pan, fry the eggs in a little oil to your liking (sunny-side or over-easy recommended) so the yolks remain runny, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper.
- Divide the pasta among four bowls, top each with a fried egg, a sprinkle of toasted breadcrumbs and chopped parsley, and a final squeeze of lemon; adjust seasoning and drizzle a little extra olive oil if desired.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 99
- Saturated Fat
- 5.5
- Sodium
- 825
- Fiber
- 9
- Unsaturated Fat
- 19
- Protein
- 32
- Fat
- 25
- Cholesterol
- 190
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 740
- Sugar
- 6