Hi friends! Boy, it’s been a busy couple weeks around here. One of my best friends from high school got married over the weekend! Last week was full of work, getting ready for the wedding, rehearsal dinners, and late nights. I barely had time to get anything done this past weekend and all I wanted to do was sleep, haha. In fact I slept in until almost noon on Sunday. You gotta catch up when you can! 

I am excited to share with you all a new recipe concept that I’m introducing to the blog today– RECIPE FORMULAS! Most often, especially during busy weeks, this is how I cook at home. With simple, sometimes pre-made ingredients (like jarred pesto!), it really helps out when I’m stressed and/or super busy. Don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with following a detailed recipe and spending time in the kitchen, but sometimes there isn’t any time! 

I’ve also been trying to be more budget-conscious as we have a lot of stuff to save for in our future (a wedding someday soon + buying a house next year) so I try to make my recipe formulas as cost-effective as possible. Sometimes it is cheaper to make an ingredient yourself, but sometimes it isn’t, and sometimes the time you save is totally worth it. 

Today’s recipe for Quick, Cheap & Easy is a Pesto Pasta with Roasted Chickpeas. We make this quite often– and it’s so affordable at only $1.50 per serving! It seriously takes less than 20 minutes for this meal from start to finish. While you’re roasting the chickpeas you can boil the pasta, and once it’s done you can toss it all together. The chickpeas are a great source of protein and fiber to the dish and taste great roasted with garlic and basil. 

These are ingredients you probably already have on hand, minus the pesto. Dried pasta, canned beans (low sodium), various herbs and spices, and olive oil are common pantry staples. My favorite jarred pesto is Classico’s– and it’s only $3 at Walmart. 

Are you a pesto fan? Do you like roasted chickpeas?