Pasta E Ceci (Pasta With Chickpea Sauce) Recipe
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- ¼ Cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Small onion finely diced
- 1 Small carrot finely diced
- 3 Cloves of garlic minced
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 to 3 Sprigs of fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon of dried
- 28 oz. Can of tomatoes whole, diced, crushed, or passata
- 2 15 oz. Cans of chickpeas drained & rinsed
- 4 Cups of water or stock
- ½ Teaspoon of salt & pepper plus more to taste
- 1 Lb of short pasta
Instructions
- Sautee vegetables and aromatics: Add the ¼ cup of olive oil to a large pot and place it over medium-high heat. Once the pot is hot toss in the onion along with the carrot. Sautee both ingredients for a few minutes or until the onion turns translucent. Then add the garlic, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and rosemary sprigs. Continue to sautee everything for another minute.
- Make the sauce: Add the can of tomatoes to the pot and stir to combine it with everything. Let the tomatoes cook and reduce for roughly 5 minutes. Then add the chickpeas, water, salt, and pepper to the pot and stir everything together. Let this come to a boil, then reduce the heat and let everything simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. After that time you can remove the bay leaf and sprigs of rosemary if you prefer.
- Puree some of the chickpeas: Use a slotted spoon to remove roughly half of the chickpeas from the pot. Add these to either a countertop blender or a bowl/cup if you plan on using an immersion blender. Then blend the chickpeas for 1 to 2 minutes or until the chickpeas break down and form a puree. Set the pureed chickpeas aside for now, they will be used to thicken up the sauce at the end.
- Cook the pasta: Add the pasta to the same pot with the sauce and give everything a good stir. Let the sauce come back to a simmer then let the pasta cook in the sauce per the packet instructions until it’s tender. Just make sure to stir the pot often as the pasta has a tendency to stick to the bottom while cooking.
- Finish the dish: Add the pureed chickpeas back to the pot and stir them into the sauce. This should make the sauce nice, thick, and creamy. However, if you prefer the sauce to have a thinner consistency you can always add a splash or two of water. That’s entirely up to you. But once you’ve made it the consistency you like taste some of the pasta. Then add additional salt and pepper to your personal preference.
- Serve the pasta e ceci into individual bowls, top with some grated parmesan, and enjoy!