Pasta e Ceci Recipe
Pasta e Ceci is a one-pot Italian dish of pasta and chickpeas. The key to the creamy texture is pureeing some of the chickpeas and adding them back to the pot at the end; this thickens the tomato base without using any cream.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 medium carrot, finely diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
- 3 (15 oz) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 6 cups of water or chicken stock
- 1 1/2 lbs short pasta, like ditalini or small shells
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Sauté the Aromatics
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook until the onion is translucent, which usually takes about 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and rosemary. Stir and cook for another minute until you can smell the garlic.
Build and Simmer the Sauce
Pour in the can of tomatoes. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You’ll see the tomatoes darken slightly in color.
Add the chickpeas and the water or stock, and season with a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of black pepper. Bring the whole thing to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Let it cook for ~15 minutes.
Puree Chickpeas and Cook the Pasta
Use a slotted spoon to scoop out about a third of the chickpeas from the pot. Transfer them to a blender and puree until smooth. You might need to add a splash of the broth from the pot to get it moving. Set the puree aside.
Add the pasta to the pot and cook according to the package directions.
You’ll need to stir often to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom as the sauce thickens.
Finish the Dish
Once the pasta is al dente, stir the chickpea puree back into the pot.
This is what thickens the dish and makes it creamy.
Let it simmer for another minute or two. At this point, taste it and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed. If it’s thicker than you’d like, stir in a splash of hot water until it reaches the right consistency.
Pasta e Ceci
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 1 medium carrot finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 can of crushed tomatoes 28 oz
- 3 cans of chickpeas 15 oz, drained and rinsed
- 6 cups water or chicken stock
- 1 1/2 lbs short pasta like ditalini or small shells
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Method
- Heat olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat.
- Sauté diced onion and carrot until onion is translucent, 5-7 minutes.
- Add garlic, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and rosemary. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add chickpeas, water/stock, salt and pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
- Remove 1/3 of chickpeas, blend until smooth with a bit of broth.
- Add pasta to pot, cook according to package directions, stirring frequently.
- Once pasta is al dente, stir in chickpea puree.
- Simmer 1-2 minutes more, adjust seasoning and consistency as needed.
