Creamy Chickpeas with Pasta Recipe
Creamy chickpeas with pasta or pasta e ceci, a thick, hearty and comforting dish. This easy, budget-friendly and, best of all, one-pot meal that will become a regular on your menu!
Servings 4 -6 servings
Calories 589kcal
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 branch celery diced
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 3 tbsp. olive oil plus extra for drizzling
- pinch red pepper flakes optinal
- ½ cup tomato passata tomato purée
- 2 19 oz cans of chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 5-6 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 sprig rosemary or 1 tsp dried
- 225 grams small shaped pasta such as ditalini, tubettini, small shells or
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring the vegetable broth to a simmer in a small sauce pan.
- Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan. Sauté diced onion, carrot and celery and a pinch of salt until softened, about 7-8 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add tomato passata and stir to combine all ingredients.
- Stir in the chickpeas, 5 cups of the simmering vegetable broth (or water) and sprig of rosemary and bring to a boil. Reserve the remaining liquid and add if needed. Lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
- Remove the rosemary sprig and use a potato masher or immersion blender to mash about half of the chickpeas for a creamy, thick texture. Alternately, ladle half the chickpeas into a blender, purée them and return to the sauce pan.
- Stir in pasta and cook over medium heat until al dente. Add salt, to taste, if needed.
- Add extra simmering broth or water as needed to fully cook the pasta. For a "soupier" dish add extra broth or water, as desired.
- Remove from heat and drizzle with a little extra olive oil. Serve hot with grated Parmigiano cheese at the table, if desired.
Notes
Substitutions and Variations
-For a quick version of pasta e ceci, omit the carrots and celery.
-Increase or decrease the amount of tomato passsata according to your taste.
-For a thicker soup, reduce the amount of liquid added and for a soupier dish add more liquid.
-Try tossing in a handful of spinach leaves in the last few minutes of cooking.
-This recipe works well with white cannellini beans in place of chickpeas.
-Use chicken broth or water instead of vegetable broth.
-If using water, toss in a Parmigiano rind while simmering for extra flavor.
-Use and short length pasta of your choice such as ditalini; tubettini; or small shells. Tips -Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days.
-This soup thickens even more once it cools. Stir in a bit of water or extra broth when reheating.
-Increase or decrease the amount of tomato passsata according to your taste.
-For a thicker soup, reduce the amount of liquid added and for a soupier dish add more liquid.
-Try tossing in a handful of spinach leaves in the last few minutes of cooking.
-This recipe works well with white cannellini beans in place of chickpeas.
-Use chicken broth or water instead of vegetable broth.
-If using water, toss in a Parmigiano rind while simmering for extra flavor.
-Use and short length pasta of your choice such as ditalini; tubettini; or small shells. Tips -Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days.
-This soup thickens even more once it cools. Stir in a bit of water or extra broth when reheating.
Nutrition
Calories: 589kcal | Carbohydrates: 89g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 1948mg | Potassium: 750mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 3383IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 5mg