Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas)
Pasta with brothy chickpeas is Italian comfort food at its best. This hearty dish combines tender chickpeas with small pasta in a rich, flavorful broth infused with garlic, rosemary, and tomato.
Servings 4 servings
Calories 687kcal
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- Immersion blender or countertop blender
- Potato masher (if using dried chickpeas)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- 4 medium garlic cloves lightly crushed
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 cans chickpeas drained liquid reserved, divided (see notes)
- 3 cups chickpea cooking liquid, homemade chicken or vegetable stock, or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock divided (see notes)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces small tubular pasta such as ditalini
- 2 ounces finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese plus extra for serving
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and rosemary, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic softens and turns golden, about 5 minutes.
- Drain the chickpeas and reserve the liquid. Mix with enough chicken/vegetable broth to make 4 cups of liquid
- Add pepper flakes and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add tomato paste and cook until tomato paste is fragrant and turns dark brick red, about 1 minute.
- Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer, and cook until wine has emulsified with olive oil and mixture is slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.
- Remove Dutch oven from heat; remove and discard rosemary sprig. Add 1 cup chickpeas and 1 cup reserved chick pea liquid, and using an immersion blender, blend mixture until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. (If you do not have a handheld immersion blender, transfer mixture to blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour mixture back into Dutch oven.) Stir in remaining chickpeas, 3 cups stock/chickpea liquid, and black pepper. Season with salt to taste.
- Bring chickpea mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in pasta and cook, stirring frequently, until pasta is just shy of al dente (about 6 minutes), and liquid is reduced to a consistency that falls between soupy and saucy. Adjust consistency as needed with additional water, stock, or chickpea cooking liquid, keeping in mind that liquid will tighten up as it cools due to starch from the chickpeas.
- Remove from heat, add cheese, and stir rapidly to incorporate. Season with salt to taste. Divide between individual serving bowls and drizzle each serving with olive oil. Serve, passing extra grated cheese at the table.
Notes
Storage: This dish is best enjoyed immediately. Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of stock or water to loosen the sauce.