Chickpea Pasta Recipe

Top view of a white bowl full of chickpea pasta.

5 from 2 votes

This delicious pasta with chickpeas, aka Italian "pasta e ceci", is one of the best one-pot family meals ready in less than 30 minutes. It's budget-friendly, uses a handful of pantry staples, and it tastes like heaven.

Quantities yield 4 servings (approx 1½ cups each)

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: pasta

Cuisine: Italian, vegan, vegetarian

Keyword: chickpea pasta recipe

Servings:

Calories: 472kcal

Author: Katia

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 cans (14oz/400gr each) chickpeas, drained
1 medium-sized potato, cubed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 rosemary sprig or 1 bay leaf
4 cups (960 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth (or water), use more if needed
¾ to 1 teaspoon fine salt, or to taste
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
8oz (220 grams) short pasta shapes (shells, orecchiette, ditali...)
2-3 Tbsp chopped parsley (optional, but recommended)

To serve (optional)

drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
grated parmesan or pecorino cheese (optional)

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-based pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the diced onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic in the last two minutes.
Place chickpeas, the cubed potato, and the tomato paste, and the rosemary spin the pot (you can also use dried herbs - see notes in the post).
Next, add vegetable broth or hot water, salt, and pepper (1 tsp of salt is fine if you use water or low-sodium broth, but if you use regular broth, adjust the seasoning at the end; see notes below). Raise the heat to a boil, then cover the pot, reduce the heat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
Turn off the heat, remove the rosemary, and puree only part of the chickpeas with an immersion blender. Alternatively, smash the chickpeas and potatoes with the back of a spoon or a potato masher. Be careful; the liquid is still hot.
Bring to a light boil again, stir in the dried pasta, and cook, stirring often (otherwise the pasta will stick to the bottom of the pot). Cook until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite. You don't need to cover the pot with a lid, but make sure you keep an eye on it. If the broth looks too thick, add a touch of water and thin to the desired consistency.
When it's ready to serve, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper according to your taste.
Stir in freshly chopped parsley, divide into bowls, and serve with a drizzle of olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese if you don't keep it vegan. Garnish with more parsley, and enjoy!

Notes

Liquid ratio: 4 cups of water/broth is an estimate. You might need to add or reduce the amount of water according to the type of pasta and your preference.

If you don't have an immersion blender, scoop out about 1 1/2 cups of the chickpeas and some broth into a blender, puree until smooth, then return the mixture to the pot.

Seasoning: I usually cook pasta e ceci with water, but if you prefer to use regular vegetable or chicken broth, keep in mind that it might taste quite salty on its own. It's important to adjust the seasoning at the end rather than at the beginning, as you never really know how strong the salt from the broth is.

Nutrition facts: The nutritional values are for one serving only. They are based on an online nutrition calculator. It’s an estimate and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Please see my disclosure policies.

Nutrition