Pasta e Ceci Old

4.91 from 11 votes

Pasta e Ceci is a comforting soup that's made with pasta, chickpeas, a touch of tomato, and a few other simple ingredients.

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Start by cooking pasta to al dente in salted (2 Tbsp kosher salt per gallon) water. Reserve pasta water for thinning later if required.
Dice onion, carrot, and celery into small pieces. Mince 2 cloves of garlic. Grate 1 cup of parmigiano reggiano.
In a large pot add the 1/4 cup of olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for 1 minute on medium heat. Add the chopped carrots and celery and continue to saute for 5 more minutes until softened.
Add the drained and rinsed chickpeas to the pot and cook for 1 minute. Next, add the 3 ounces of tomato paste and the rosemary sprig and give it a stir. Cook for 3 more minutes.
Add the 6 cups of low sodium chicken broth and bring to a simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove the rosemary stem and add the pasta and let cook for 10 -15 minutes more on low heat to absorb all the flavors.
Finally, add the 1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano and stir one more time. If the pasta e ceci is too thin for your liking let it cook for a few more minutes to thicken. If it is too thick, just add some of the reserved pasta water.
Before bringing the pot to the table, taste test and adjust salt/pepper and crushed red pepper levels if required. Serve in bowls with a healthy drizzle of extra virgin olive on top. Serve with crusty Italian bread, more cheese, and crushed red pepper flakes on the side. Enjoy!

Water can be subbed for chicken broth.
Any small pasta works well in this recipe.
An optional step is to blend the chickpeas with an immersion or regular blender prior to adding the pasta.
Salt and pepper levels were kept low. Adjust accordingly.
Crushed red pepper flakes were listed but are served on the side.