Chickpea Cassoulet with Tomatoes and Chard

1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 pinches red pepper
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme(1/2 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp paprika
pinch saffron threads (optional)
15-oz can chickpeas
2 cups chopped tomatoes
freshly ground pepper
1 bunch chard, leaves only
12 oz spaghetti
1/2 cup grated soy cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook pasta al dente, drain. Saute onion garlic,
crushed red pepper, herbs, paprika, and saffron (if desired). Cook over
medium high heat, stirring frequently until onions are soft about 8 min.
Add chickpeas, 1/2 cup of their liquid and tomatoes. Season with pepper.
Lower heat and simmer 15 min. If pan becomes dry, add a little water to
keep it moist. Steam chard until bright green and tender. Remove, chop
coarsely, season with pepper and if desired salt. Put pasta in casserole,
add chickpea-tomato mixture, chard and cheese. Toss until well mixed.
Cover with foil and bake until warmed through, about 20 min. Serve with
additional grated cheese if desired. Makes 4 to 6 servings (I find it to
be more). Here in Fl. it's hard to find chard, so I usually use fresh or
frozen spinach. Kale would work just as well. You can also prepare this
ahead of time, then pop into oven and heat for 20 min.