Gemelli with Broccoli Rabe, Bacon, and Chickpeas

This is a recipe from the September issue of the Cooking Light Magazine. This is one of my favorite cooking magazine other than Real Simple. I think the ingredients goes really well together. I would have never thought about adding chickpeas into a pasta dish. Adding a little red hot pepper makes the dish even better.

Ingredients:
1 pound broccoli rabe, trimmed and coarsely chopped
8 ounces uncooked gemelli pasta
6 slices center-cut bacon
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

Directions:
1. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add broccoli rabe to pan; cook 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain well. Coarsely chop.
2. Return water to a boil. Add pasta to pan; cook according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl; reserve 3/4 cup pasta water.
3. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and crumble bacon. 4. Increase heat to medium-high. Add garlic and chickpeas to drippings in pan; sauté 2 minutes or until garlic is golden. Stir in broccoli rabe, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; cook 3 minutes or until broccoli rabe is heated. Stir in pasta, 3/4 cup pasta water, and bacon; toss well.