Pasta e Ceci (Pasta & Chickpea Stew)

• Cuisine: Italian
• Diet: lacto-vegetarian (no eggs, meat, or fish)
• Serves: 2
• Time: prep 10 min / cook 25 min
• Source: original
• Added: 2026-09-27

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more to finish
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can chickpeas, drained (liquid reserved)
• 1.5 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1 sprig rosemary (or 1/2 tsp dried)
• 4 oz small pasta (ditalini or small shells)
• Grated vegetarian parmesan (rennet-free)
• Black pepper

Instructions

1. Build the soffritto: sauté the onion in olive oil over medium heat until soft and translucent, then add the garlic for 30 seconds. (Prep-ahead) 2. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1-2 minutes until it darkens slightly — this deepens the flavor instead of leaving it raw and sharp. 3. Add the chickpeas, rosemary, and broth. Simmer 15 minutes, then mash about a third of the chickpeas against the side of the pot to thicken the stew. Store as the base. (Prep-ahead) 4. Day-of: bring the base back to a simmer, add the pasta directly into it, and cook until al dente — add water or the reserved chickpea liquid if it thickens too much before the pasta is done. 5. Finish off heat with a drizzle of good olive oil, cracked pepper, and grated parmesan.

Notes / Variations

• Cooking the pasta directly in the stew (rather than separately) lets the starch thicken the dish naturally, similar to a risotto.
• Mashing some of the chickpeas gives body without needing cream.

Cooking History

• YYYY-MM-DD — rating /5 — brief note