Pasta e Ceci Recipe
This is Italian comfort food at its best: pasta and chickpeas in a thick, savory broth. The two key techniques are blending half the chickpeas to make the soup creamy without any cream, and cooking the pasta directly in the pot, which thickens the broth and infuses the pasta with flavor.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces pancetta, diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 large sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind (optional, but highly recommended)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces small pasta (like ditalini or small shells)
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Build the Flavor Base
In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, cook the diced pancetta over medium heat until it has rendered its fat and is lightly crisped, ~5-7 minutes.
Add the olive oil, diced onion, and carrot to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for ~6-8 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
Stir in the minced garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook for one minute more until fragrant.
Simmer the Soup
Pour in the fire-roasted tomatoes and their juices, using a spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the chickpeas, chicken broth, Parmesan rind, rosemary sprig, salt, and pepper.
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes for the flavors to meld.
Create the Creamy Base
Fish out the rosemary sprig and the Parmesan rind.
Using an immersion blender directly in the pot, blend about one-third of the soup until it’s relatively smooth. Alternatively, you can transfer about 2 cups of the soup to a regular blender and blend until smooth, then return it to the pot. This step is what creates the creamy texture.
Cook the Pasta and Serve
Bring the soup back to a steady simmer. Add the pasta directly to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente, about 8-10 minutes. The soup will thicken as the pasta releases its starches. If it becomes too thick, you can add a splash of water or more broth.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt if needed.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve immediately, with a generous grating of fresh Parmesan cheese over the top.
Pasta e Ceci
Ingredients
- 4 ounces pancetta diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 carrot diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 large sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind optional, but highly recommended
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces small pasta like ditalini or small shells
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Method
- Cook pancetta in Dutch oven over medium heat until crispy, 5-7 minutes.
- Add oil, onion, carrot; cook until soft, 6-8 minutes.
- Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes, chickpeas, broth, Parmesan rind, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes.
- Remove rosemary and Parmesan rind.
- Blend 1/3 of soup until smooth using immersion blender.
- Add pasta, cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes.
- Season to taste and serve with grated Parmesan.
