This recipe for the Italian classic pasta e ceci, a simple dish of chickpeas and pasta in a slightly brothy, rosemary-scented sauce, is so delicious. Make it in 30 minutes for a cozy weeknight dinner!
Table of Contents
A one-pot stew of chickpeas and pasta
Pasta e ceci is an Italian stew from central and southern Italy. It's a very simple dish because it originated as a poor man's food made with pantry ingredients and usually no meat. Cheese was sometimes added just before serving.
This cozy and delicious dish is vegan friendly and weeknight-friendly because it takes under 30 minutes to make.
Pasta e ceci will likely remind you of another Italian favorite, pasta e fagioli. The primary difference between the two is that pasta e ceci is made with chickpeas, pasta e fagioli is made with white beans. Both pasta dishes are equally delicious and wonderful, nourishing choices for a quick dinner.
To make a spectacular pasta e ceci, be sure to use a good quality stock - like a homemade mushroom stock or vegetable stock - to add depth of flavor. I used dried herbs but in summer you can use fresh herbs.
Recipe FAQs
Just use any small gf pasta instead of wheat pasta. This time I used chickpea orzo made only with chickpeas.
Yes, cut down to up to a tablespoon. A good olive oil helps flavor the pasta, but if you are eating less fat it's fine to cut down to a teaspoon. If you are oil-free, sauté the sofrito veggies in mushroom stock or vegetable stock.
Use spaghetti or any long pasta but break it into one-inch pieces before adding to the pot.
Eat pasta e ceci on its own or in the winter pair it with chunky roasted vegetables for more deliciousness. My favorite sides with pasta e ceci are garlicky roasted asparagus and potatoes, roasted golden beets and garlic green beans. In the summer serve with a fresh, leafy salad.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days. Freeze up to four months in a freezer-safe container. Thaw and warm through on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving, adding more stock or water to thin out.
Recipe card
Pasta e Ceci recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 3 stalks celery (finely chopped)
- 1 large carrot (finely chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced or put through a garlic press)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced)
- 14 oz canned plum tomatoes (pureed)
- 1 heaping tbsp tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon paprika (or red pepper flakes, tweak amount to your preference for heat)
- 29 oz canned or cooked chickpeas
- 4-5 cups mushroom stock (or vegetable stock or water)
- 12 oz pasta (use any small pasta, including ditalini, elbows, farfalle, conchiglie, rigatoni or penne. I used chickpea pasta, which is higher in protein.)
- Salt to taste
For serving
Instructions
- Place olive oil in large pot or Dutch oven. Add onions, carrots and celery and season with salt and ground black pepper. Turn heat to medium and saute the veggies for a couple of minutes.
- Add the garlic, bay leaves, rosemary and oregano. Continue to sauté the veggies until they are almost soft, about five minutes. Don't let them brown.
- Stir in the tomato paste and tomato puree and mix. Add paprika or red pepper flakes. Mix and bring the sauce to a boil. Lower heat and simmer five minutes.
- Stir in the drained chickpeas, along with four cups mushroom stock (or water). Mix well and bring back to a boil. Add salt to taste.
- Add the pasta and mix it in.
- Bring to a boil and let the pasta simmer in the broth until al dente (it should take about the same time as it would if you cooked the pasta separately). Stir a few times to make sure the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom, and add more water if needed.
- Once the pasta has cooked, turn off the heat. The sauce will continue to thicken as it stands. Serve hot or warm with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some vegan parmesan.
Notes
- Cut the sofrito vegetables quite small. You want everything in this stew - the veggies, pasta and chickpeas - to be roughly similar in size.
Nutrition Information
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Faith says
Great recipes!
Vaishali says
Thanks ❤️
Maria says
What quantity of chickpeas is needed for this recipe? The “ingredients list” doesn’t have that info.
Vaishali says
It's approx 3 cups canned or cook 1 cup dried chickpeas.
Itsy says
I just made this and it is so delicious, thank you!
Vaishali says
Yay! So thrilled you loved it. ❤️
Helen Trainor says
Tried this. It was really easy to make and even better to eat. I didn't have fresh herbs or garlic, so used dried herbs. Still tasted pretty good.. 👍
Vaishali says
Awesome. It works nicely with dried herbs. So happy you made it! ❤️
Keith Armstrong says
Hi Vaishali,love the recipes. I don't think 1 needs to be repeated in 2, here though. Also I think it should read of evoo, not or evoo. Not sure what evoo is. thanks keep the recipes coming. Very topical, I was looking at the bottle of chickpeas and wondering if I could find a tomato based sauce for them. DO you do any without onions and garlic? DO you have a good substitute for onions? Thanks. Keith
Vaishali says
Hi Keith, thanks for catching the typos! I've corrected them. Evoo is extra virgin olive oil. I was having a Rachel Ray moment there lol.
You can skip the onions and garlic in this recipe. Use more herbs to boost the flavor, if possible. I might add some thyme. My pasta puttanesca has no onions and you can skip the garlic. It's a very flavorful pasta that would work without it.