Pasta E Ceci: Pasta with Chickpeas for the Win

Pasta è Ceci - pasta with chickpeas. Two rather common ingredients, both rather unassuming on their own, but put them together, and the result can be positively transformative If you look up 'pasta è ceci' you will find countless versions, each one different from the other. There are, however, a few common threads between all the renditions: the pasta is always short, most often tube-shaped, but not necessarily so; there are chickpeas, but beans can sub in, whence the dish gets renamed Pasta È Fagioli; the whole dish revolves around a broth, that may or may not be thick from the beans' starches; and lots of garlic. Everything else that may go into the pot seems to be pretty much up for grabs.



I have to admit that I no longer recall when I first encountered the dish, but it has become a stand-in for when I am feeling poorly. It embodies the same comfort and warmth as a bowl of congee, though it probably has more appeal than the former. Think of it as the vegetarian counterpart to chicken noodle soup, though it is by no means necessary to make it meat-free if you aren't actually a vegetarian.



The recipe below takes into account the vegetables I happened to have on hand when I last made pasta è ceci, but feel free to play around with what you have in your fridge or to switch up the herbs you use. As I mentioned earlier, there doesn't seem to be a definite recipe for this dish, though I am sure that every nonna in Italy would disagree with that point!



Pasta È Ceci
Makes enough for one poorly person 

1 cup/ ±150g cooked, short pasta, such as rotini, tubetti, tortiglioni or broken spaghetti
½ cup/ 100g cooked chickpeas 
1 cup/ ± shredded kale, shaved fennel bulb, broccoli florets, chopped tomatoes, etc...
3 cloves garlic
½ tsp each dried oregano and thyme
1 cup/ 250ml water or broth of your choice
3 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Grated cheese to taste, optional

Remove the root end of the garlic, peel and slice.
In a saucepan, warm the olive oil, the garlic and the dried herbs, gently frying over a medium heat until fragrant and the garlic slivers begin to turn golden, about 3 minutes.
Add the vegetables of your choice and the chickpeas. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes.
Add water or broth, and bring up to a simmer. Allow to cook through, 10-15 minutes.
Taste for seasoning, and adjust as necessary.
Place pasta at the bottom of a bowl, and ladle the veggies and broth on top.
Smother with grated cheese, if desired.



Although I wrote up a recipe for one, pasta è ceci is wonderful for sharing with others, especially with the onset of wintry weather. I do find that some recipes are easier to gauge when written for one, most particularly soupy ones. If you are serving a crowd, the pasta can be cooked up to a day in advance and kept refrigerated until needed. Make sure the broth is piping hot when you ladle it over the noodles so that they heat through. However, try to avoid reheating the pasta in the soup pot, or they will soak up all the lovely broth and go soggy.



Bon App'!