👉 To Cook Pasta: 200g Dry Casarecce Pasta (No.88 size) 10 Cups of Water 2 Teaspoon Salt (I have added pink Himalayan salt) 👉 To Fry Zucchini: 400g / 3 heaping cups Zucchini / 2 medium Zucchini - chopped 1/2 inches thick 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil 1/4 Teaspoon Salt 👉 Other Ingredients: 2+1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil 175g / 1+1/2 cup Sliced Onions 2+1/2 / 30g Tablespoon Garlic - finely chopped 1/4 to 1/2 Teaspoon Chili Flakes or to taste 1+1/4 cup / 300ml Passata / Tomato Puree 2 cups / 1 Can COOKED Chickpeas (Low Sodium) 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano 1/4 Teaspoon Sugar (I have added organic cane sugar to cut down the acidity of the tomato puree) Salt to taste (I have added total 3/4 Teaspoon Pink Himalayan Salt to this dish) 1/2 cup / 125ml Water Reserved Pasta cooking water - 1/4 to 1/3 cup OR as needed 1 cup / 24g Fresh Basil - chopped Ground Black Pepper to taste (I have added 1 Teaspoon) Drizzle of olive oil (I have added 1/2 tablespoon organic cold pressed olive oil) ▶️ METHOD: Start by chopping the vegetables and set aside. Generously salt a pot of boiling water. Add the pasta and cook the pasta until it's 'al dente' (as per the package instructions). ✅ 👉 DO NOT OVER COOK THE PASTA, cook it al dente because we will be further cooking it in the tomato sauce later, so cook it al dente. RESERVE SOME PASTA COOKING WATER FOR LATER. To a heated pan add the chopped zucchini and fry until it's lightly browned. Once its lightly browned add 1/4 tsp salt and fry for another 30 seconds or so. Then remove from the heat and transfer to a plate. Set it aside for later. ✅ 👉 DO NOT OVER COOK THE ZUCCHINI OTHERWISE IT WILL TURN MUSHY. THE COOKED ZUCCHINI SHOULD HAVE A BITE TO IT. To the same pan, add olive oil, sliced onions, chopped garlic and chili flakes. Fry on medium heat until the onion and garlic are lightly browned. It will take about 5 to 6 minutes. Now add the passata/tomato puree, cooked chickpeas, dried oregano, salt, sugar and mix well. I have added sugar to cut down the acidity of the tomatoes. Cook on medium heat and bring to a rapid simmer. Then cover the lid and reduce the heat to low and cook for about 8 minutes to allow the flavours to develop. After 8 minutes uncover the pan and increase the heat to medium. Bring it to a rapid simmer. Then add the cooked pasta and fried zucchini. Mix well with sauce. Add some pasta water (IF NEEDED) that we had reserved earlier and cook for another 1 minute on medium heat. Note that I have added the pasta water to create a sauce so add only if needed otherwise don't. Now turn off the heat. ✅ 👉 ADD THE PASTA WATER ONLY IF NEEDED OTHERWISE DON'T. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, drizzle of a good quality extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil. Mix and serve hot. ▶️ IMPORTANT NOTES: 👉 DO NOT over cook the pasta. Cook the pasta Al dente, as we will be further cooking it in the tomato sauce later 👉 Reserve at least 1 cup of the pasta cooking water for the sauce before draining the pasta 👉 Every stove is different so regulate the heat as required. If at any point you notice the pan is getting over heated, reduce the heat 👉 PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PASTA COOKING WATER ALREADY HAS SALT IN IT, so add the salt to the dish accordingly 👉 If the pasta sauce starts to get dry, add some more of the reserved pasta cooking water, do not add cold water to it