Pasta e ceci – pasta with chickpeas is actually pasta e fagioli in the original, which literally means “pasta and beans”. Since pasta with beans would not sell well in our restaurant, we decided on a variation with chickpeas. And I can assure you that this Italian stew is truly irresistible, be it with beans or chickpeas, it doesn’t matter! Lots of flavor from sun-ripened tomatoes, fresh parsley and kale make the pasta and chickpeas a hearty one-pot meal.
Tips for the best pasta e ceci
- First we cook chopped onions, celery and carrots in olive oil until tender and very lightly browned. This is the basis of taste.
- Then we add garlic and cook just long enough to take the heat out of the garlic. It’s pretty quick, about 30 seconds. The garlic should hardly get any color, because burnt garlic tastes terrible.
- Now it’s time for the canned tomatoes. If you have whole tomatoes, chop them up.
- After the vegetable broth, pour in almost as much water again, because later we will cook the noodles directly in the liquid.
- Blending some of the soup is optional, but this step creates a delicious and creamy texture.
- Now just add kale and parsley. Cook until the kale is tender and near the end, cook the noodles in the soup. Pay attention to the consistency and correct with a little water.
- When you have taken the soup off the heat, add even more flavor and freshness with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and also a spoonful of good-quality olive oil. Feel free to try the before and after – you will notice the difference.
Safekeeping and Storage
Leftovers from this one-pot dish taste even better the next day. Allow the leftover soup leftovers to cool to room temperature, then cover with foil. You can store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. Leftovers can also be frozen and thawed when needed.
if you like our pasta with chickpeas, you might also be interested in these dishes:
- Pizza di pasta sfoglia vegan
- Italian pasta idea with porcini mushrooms
- Pasta with creamy ricotta cream
- Velvety pumpkin and mushroom ragout with pasta and co.
- Pasta Primavera packed with healthy vegetables
- more pasta ideas…
Pasta e ceci – pasta with chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 can Chickpeas about 400g
- 100 G pasta small short noodles of your choice
- 1 Onion
- 4 Garlic cloves
- 2 carrots
- 2 rods celery
- 100 Kale or chard
- 4 tbsp. native olive oil*
- 1 canned tomatoes* about 400g
- ½ L vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp Oregano* dried
- ¼ tsp chili flakes* optional to taste
- 1 small bunch parsley
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- Sea-salt* fine
- Black pepper* from the mill
Optional topping:
- Parsely
- black pepper
- grated parmesan
- Splashes of good olive oil*
Instructions
Prepare vegetables:
- Peel and finely dice the onions.
- Peel the garlic and dice or grate it very finely.
- Wash the celery sticks, remove the threads and cut into small cubes.
- Peel and finely grate the carrots.
- Remove the tough leaf veins from the washed kale and chop finely.1 Onion
- Rinse the parsley, shake dry and roughly chop.4 Garlic cloves
Cook:
- In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil.
- Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the hot oil and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are soft.
- Now add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the canned tomatoes to the saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring. Pour in the vegetable stock (a little more water if necessary) and add the spices such as salt, pepper, bay leaves, oregano and chili flakes.
- Bring everything to a boil again, reduce the heat and let everything cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Now take out about ⅓ of the soup and blend in a food processor (be careful it’s very hot and don’t overfill the blender) or hand blender until smooth. Make sure there is no bay leaf.
- Pour the blended mixture back into the soup.
- Now add kale and parsley to the boiling soup. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes or the vegetables are tender.
- Before the end of the cooking time, add the noodles according to the directions on the noodles. Maybe add some more water if needed.100 G pasta
- When everything is cooked, remove the pot from the stove and remove the bay leaves. Season with lemon juice, remaining olive oil and salt and pepper.
Arranging and serving:
- Serve pasta e ceci in soup bowls.
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, parmesan cheese and a few drops of your good olive oil.