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.