Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Tip the cherry tomatoes, chickpeas and unpeeled garlic cloves into a large baking dish and set the block of feta in the middle. Pour over the olive oil, scatter the oregano and red pepper flakes, season with black pepper, and turn everything gently to coat.

Roast for 35–40 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst and slumped, the chickpeas have gone golden at the edges and the feta is soft with browned spots on top.

While it roasts, cook the chickpea pasta in well-salted water. Start tasting a full minute before the package says — chickpea pasta goes from firm to mushy faster than wheat. Scoop out a cup of the cooking water before you drain.

Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skins into the dish and discard the skins. Now mash everything together with the back of a wooden spoon — the feta, the tomatoes and the garlic collapse into a creamy pink-orange sauce in about thirty seconds.

Add the spinach to the still-hot dish and stir until it wilts, then add the drained pasta and toss, loosening with the reserved pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce is glossy and coats everything.

Tear over fresh basil, grind on plenty of black pepper, and serve straight from the dish.