Gigli with chickpeas and za'atar from Ottolenghi Simple (page 191) by Yotam Ottolenghi

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Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • Eat Your Books

    Can substitute orecchiette pasta or conchiglie pasta for gigli pasta.

  • jobie_ixahwf on May 04, 2026

    This looked and smelled great but the flavor just wasn’t there as much and I expected. Maybe adding another vegetable like asparagus or brussel sprouts would help. I’ll definitely try it again with some tweaks.

  • anna_1bxel8 on March 27, 2026

    Yum! This was easy and delicious

  • jack_iszn53 on March 24, 2026

    Need extra pasta

  • AmomentOfMusic on August 01, 2025

    This is one of those recipes that I have found great to use as a template and then tweak as I please, especially with regards to the herbs I have available. In order to make vegetarian, I leave out the anchovies and instead mix in a spoonful of miso into the stock. I've also served it with a quick chili pepper pickle (literally just vinegar with a finely sliced Thai chili) and a spoonful of sour cream which helps cut through some of the earthiness.

  • jenburkholder on June 17, 2023

    Easy (comes together in around 30 minutes) and very tasty. Kept ok as leftovers as well. Make-again worthy.

  • samfrances on May 22, 2023

    When I cooked according to the timings, it was much more of a stew sort of dish than I was expecting. Delicious nonetheless.

  • pomegranate on October 26, 2022

    I subbed sautéed shredded Brussels sprouts for pasta and added goat cheese. This was tasty!

  • Ganga108 on March 03, 2022

    I often pop over to my daughter's place in another state and take over the cooking for the time I am there. I cooked this one for the family one night. It is easy to make and delicious! Loved by all.

  • mharriman on May 08, 2021

    My husband and I thought this was an interesting take on pasta with chickpeas. We liked the flavors. I think the sprinkling of Za’atar topping before serving added an extra flavor dimension. Like some other reviewers, I increased the spinach (3xs). I also thought the ratio of chickpeas to the Gigli pasta was unbalanced. I would either decrease the chickpeas or add more pasta next time. I didn’t use 1/2 cup of fresh thyme leaves because after meticulously de-stemming and accumulating 1/4 cup of leaves, I was done!

  • jhallen on March 01, 2021

    I thought this was amazing and made it exactly as written. Proportions were perfect for me (I’m finding some of the other notes confusing - no need to adjust in my opinion). Per the name of the book, it was simple.

  • clkandel on October 27, 2020

    Thought this dish was great. Since this was the main dish, I used more pasta that the recipe called for. Also used less anchovies, since they are sometimes overpowering in flavor. Instead of picking the thyme leaves off the stems, I just put stem in all in while cooking. The leaves come off during cooking and I just removed the stems before serving.

  • Zosia1995 on September 28, 2020

    Not worthy of a repeat

  • BeaAamodt on November 03, 2019

    Delicious! Used oregano instead of thyme.

  • Zosia on June 19, 2019

    This had good flavour and was quick enough for a weeknight meal, though I must admit I didn't take the time to crisp the chickpeas. I used about 100g spinach for a half recipe.

  • Rinshin on June 09, 2019

    This was satisfying, but would have preferred much more greens in the dish. Felt round garbanzo beans were too plentiful for the amount of pasta and spinach as well as hard to eat. The taste of the sauce was very nice and it occurred to me that dried shrimp reconstituted would be good substitution for anchovies because leftover anchovies do not last too long in the refrigerator.

  • KarinaFrancis on June 07, 2019

    Unbelievably good! I was dubious but with all the positive reviews I thought I’d try and it was a huge hit, surprisingly light and packed a flavour punch. I ran out of anchovies so used a tsp of fish sauce, but I think anchovies would be better. I will make this again!

  • anya_sf on March 15, 2019

    I used about 9 oz pasta and 12 oz baby spinach and would do so again. Picking 1/2 cup thyme leaves off the branches took a long time; next time I'd probably use 1-2 Tbsp dried instead. There were still a lot of chickpeas relative to pasta. I cooked the pasta al dente, saving some of the cooking water, mixed it with the chickpea mixture and let it finish cooking altogether, adding some of the pasta cooking water with the spinach. I think that helped make the whole dish more cohesive. My family enjoyed this with grated parmesan on top.

  • Rutabaga on December 23, 2018

    I really liked this dish, and found it very flavorful. While I only used about half the amount of anchovies called for, that added just the right amount of umami without overwhelming the other ingredients. You could omit them and still have a good, full-flavored dish. I left out the spinach since I didn't have any on hand. The three-year-old loved it, but oddly my seven-year-old ate the chickpeas but declined to eat the pasta. I did as Ottolenghi suggested and made the chickpeas in advance, then reheated them while the pasta cooked. I also added a squeeze of lemon to finish the dish.

  • SheilaS on November 21, 2018

    I was generous with the seasonings and felt the cooking method did a great job infusing flavor into the canned chickpeas, which can be very bland. I also used about 3X times the amount of spinach. If I try this again, I will likely add lots more greens, skip the pasta and serve this with pita or flatbread.

  • Jojobuch on November 14, 2018

    Interesting combination but I would add more zaatar, as otherwise it can be a bit bland

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