Creamy chickpea and roasted pepper pasta

To prepare the pasta with chickpea cream and peppers, start with the chickpea cream. In a pan heat a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and lightly brown two peeled garlic cloves 1. Add the well-drained chickpeas 2, season with salt 3 and pepper, and pour in just enough water to barely cover them, without exceeding.

Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, then remove the garlic cloves 4. Transfer the chickpeas to the container of an immersion blender 5 and blend until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous cream 6. Set it aside.

Meanwhile, clean the peppers: remove the stem and inner membranes, then cut the red 7 and yellow 8 peppers into roughly 3/8-inch cubes. In the same pan heat a drizzle of oil and add the peppers 9.

Season with salt 10 and let them cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally 11. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rigatoni 12.

When they are al dente, drain them directly into the pan with the peppers 13. Then add the chickpea cream prepared earlier 14. Finish with the lemon juice 15.

Aromatize with the lemon zest 16 and, if necessary, add a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to make the sauce creamier. Toss the rigatoni until you obtain a coating sauce that is well blended and enveloping 17. Divide the chickpea-and-roasted-pepper pasta among plates 18 and serve immediately, finishing as desired with freshly chopped chives.