Pasta e ceci (pasta with chickpeas)
30 min · 22 g protein · 522 cals / serving
The Roman one-pot that is half soup, half pasta: little pasta tubes and chickpeas simmered in a rosemary, garlic and tomato broth until it turns thick and creamy from the mashed chickpeas, with kale stirred through and a thread of olive oil and chilli on top. Cupboard food, ready in 30 minutes, and better the next day.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cans (15 oz each), drained and rinsed chickpeas
- 4 1/4 cups water, boiling
- 5 1/2 oz pasta, ditalini or other small pasta
- 8 cups chopped kale, tough stems removed (a bunch, or a bag of chopped kale)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
To serve
- 1 tbsp olive oil, your best
Steps
- Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat and cook the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of the salt for 6 minutes, stirring, until soft.
- Stir in the garlic, rosemary and chilli flakes for 1 minute, then the tomato paste, and cook 1 minute more until it darkens.
- Add the chickpeas and the boiling water, bring to a boil and mash about a third of the chickpeas against the side of the pot with a potato masher or spoon.
- Add the pasta and the rest of the salt and simmer 10–12 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't catch, until the pasta is tender and the broth has turned thick and creamy.
- Stir in the kale and pepper and cook 3 minutes, until the kale is tender. It should be loose, between a soup and a stew; add a splash of water if it has thickened too much.
- Ladle into bowls and drizzle each with a little of the olive oil. It keeps 3 days in the fridge; the pasta drinks up the broth as it stands, so loosen it with water when you reheat.
Good to know
Can I add parmesan?
Yes, a spoonful over each bowl is the Roman way, though it is then no longer vegan. A rind of parmesan simmered in the broth and fished out at the end gives depth too.
Which pasta?
Any small shape: ditalini, small shells, broken spaghetti or the mixed ends of packets, which is what Italian cooks use it for.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 90
- Protein
- (18%)
- 4 g
- Fat
- (25%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (57%)
- 14 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 198 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2088 kcal goes into the pot and 2570 g of ingredients comes out as about 2325 g of food: 90 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.