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Pasta is such such a seamless, logical process, you can do two things at one time without stumbling: start the sauce in one pan, bring the water to boil in another, stir the sauce, cook the pasta, combine them both. When I made whole-wheat spaghetti with garbanzo beans and the last heirloom tomatoes for meatless Monday, this two-pot dinner made me feel like a one-task wonder.
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olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, halved lengthwise then chopped
kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
leaves from a small branch of rosemary, minced
pinch red pepper flakes
1 pound ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped (or 14-oz can chopped tomatoes)
15-oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 pound spaghetti or penne (see note)
1/2 cup grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese
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Coat the bottom of a wide sauté pan with oil then place pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and a good pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, rosemary and red pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and garbanzo beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover pan and cook until the tomatoes have melted and the sauce is thick, about 20 minutes. Lift the lid and stir once or twice to make sure sauce doesn't scorch (if it does, add a splash of water).
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a big pinch of salt, then add the pasta and cook until truly al dente, about a minute less than the time indicated on the package. Drain pasta, saving a cup or so of the cooking water, and add pasta to the saute pan. Toss with tongs until the pasta soaks up the sauce, stirring in a little reserved cooking water if needed to keep things moist. Serve pasta in warmed bowls, sprinkled with cheese.
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