Pasta E Ceci Recipe

You will love this simple Italian pasta e ceci recipe with sauteed vegetables in a delicious chickpea sauce with ditalini pasta. The flavor in this is incredible that you won’t even believe it’s 100% vegetarian and highly filling.

I absolutely love Italian food. There’s nothing like it. If you are looking to learn how to make a few classic dishes, then check out my Spaghetti Algio o Olio or Pasta Cacio e Pepe.

Pasta E Ceci

Pasta e ceci is a simple Italian dish consisting of pasta that is cooked with chickpeas. It translates to English as pasta and chickpeas. There are a few variations for this dish, but for the most part, it is meant to be simple and use few ingredients. This is very much a blue-collar classic peasant meal that was created out of necessity and availability.

In its simplest form, pasta ceci would feature chickpeas cooked in water with herbs, garlic, and tomato until tender and then slightly mashed up before adding the pasta to cook until al dente. It can sometimes include wine, onions, celery, and carrots. My recipe uses all these ingredients because they are readily available and inexpensive. If you ever have leftover garbanzo beans, then this pasta e ceci is a great family meal to serve.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Chickpeas – I used dried chickpeas for this recipe.
• Mirepoix – You will need small diced onions, celery, and carrots. Feel free to use a white, yellow, or sweet onion.
• Garlic – A few cloves of small diced garlic go a long way in flavoring up this pasta e ceci.
• Herbs – I like to use 1 sprig of fresh rosemary.
• Tomatoes – Canned tomatoes work perfectly for this.
• Pasta – I used Ditalini in this pasta dish.
• Stock – Vegetable stock is excellent in this, but you can also use chicken stock or water.
• Cheese – Parmesan Reggiano or Pecorino Romano will work.
• Wine – Any good dry white wine like chardonnay, sauvignon Blanc, or pinot grigio is good to use.

How to Make Pasta E Ceci

Start by completely submerging the dried chickpeas in water and let them sit overnight or for at least 12 hours.

Drain the chickpeas and transfer them to a medium-sized pot.

Cover the chickpeas with 4 cups of vegetable stock or water and cook over medium heat until tender. This usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

After about 10 minutes, add the olive oil to a separate large pot or rondeau over medium heat.

Add onions and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned and tender. You may need to turn the heat down to low medium if it cooks too quickly. Cooking it too fast will cause them to lose out on the caramelization process, which brings about more flavor.

Next, stir in the celery and carrots and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes to soften up.

Mix in the garlic and rosemary and cook it until fragrant, which takes about 30 to 45 seconds.

Deglaze with white wine and cook until au sec or almost gone.

Check on the chickpeas and see if they are tender and cooked. If they are, remove them from the heat.

Add the tomatoes and ½ the number of cooked chickpeas, and ½ the liquid to the large pot with the vegetables.

Place the remaining ½ of the chickpeas and liquid in a blender or, using an emersion blender in that medium-sized pot they were cooked in, pulse until the mixture is smooth. You may need to add a few tablespoons of water to help loosen it up so that it can be blended.

Pour the pureed chickpea mixture into the large pot.

Next, pour in the remaining 4 cups of vegetable stock or water.

Season the mixture well with salt and pepper. Be sure it is delicious.

Add the pasta and cook while occasionally stirring over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. The mixture should be creamy, like a thick sauce.

Serve the pasta with freshly grated parmesan or pecorino Romano.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: This is meant to be eaten as soon as it is finished being made.

How to Store: Cover the pasta and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This will not freeze well.

How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of pasta to a medium-sized saucepot and add ¼ cup to a 1/3 cup of water. Heat over low to medium heat while stirring with a spoon until hot. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Chef Notes + Tips

• You will know when the chickpeas are done cooking when you can gently squeeze them, and they smash.
• Any tubular pasta, like penne, rigatoni, ditaloni, etc., will work.
• Al dente means to the tooth. The pasta should be firm but not hard or chalky.
• If you are using canned chickpeas, you’ll need three 15-ounce cans, strained, and there is no need to soak them or cook them in a pot.
• Add ½ of the canned chickpeas and 2 cups of vegetable stock of water to the pasta. Puree the remaining half of the canned chickpeas with vegetable stock or water before adding it to the pasta pot with everything else.
• Other herbs you could use are fresh oregano or sage.
• If you want fresh tomatoes, puree or finely mince Roma tomatoes.

More Pasta Recipes

• Penne Alla Vodka
• Fettucine Alfredo
• Ravioli
• Gnocchi
• Pasta Alla Gricia

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Pasta E Ceci Recipe

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5 from 10 votes

You will love this simple Italian pasta e ceci recipe with sauteed vegetables in a delicious chickpea sauce with ditalini pasta.

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 1 pound dried chickpeas
• 8 cups vegetable stock or water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium-sized peeled and small diced yellow onion
• 1 small diced rib of celery
• 1 peeled and small diced carrot
• 3 small diced cloves of garlic
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
• ½ cup of white wine
• 1 cup of canned whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand
• ½ pound ditalini pasta
• Coarse sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• Freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano or pecorino Romano for garnish

Instructions

• Start by completely submerging the dried chickpeas in water and let them sit overnight or for at least 12 hours.
• Drain the chickpeas and transfer them to a medium-sized pot.
• Cover the chickpeas with 4 cups of vegetable stock or water and cook over medium heat until tender. This usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
• After about 10 minutes, add the olive oil to a separate large pot or rondeau over medium heat.
• Add onions and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned and tender. You may need to turn the heat down to low medium if it cooks too quickly. Cooking it too fast will cause them to lose out on the caramelization process, which brings about more flavor.
• Next, stir in the celery and carrots and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes to soften up.
• Mix in the garlic and rosemary and cook it until fragrant, which takes about 30 to 45 seconds.
• Deglaze with white wine and cook until au sec or almost gone.
• At this point, check on the chickpeas and see if they are tender and cooked. If they are, remove them from the heat.
• Add in the tomatoes and ½ the number of cooked chickpeas, and ½ the liquid to the large pot with the vegetables.
• Place the remaining ½ of the chickpeas and liquid in a blender or, using an emersion blender in that medium-sized pot that they were cooked in, and pulse until the mixture is smooth. You may need to add a few tablespoons of water to help loosen it up so that it can be blended.
• Pour the pureed chickpea mixture into the large pot.
• Next, pour in the remaining 4 cups of vegetable stock or water.
• Season the mixture well with salt and pepper. Be sure it is delicious.
• Add the pasta and cook while occasionally stirring over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. The mixture should be creamy like a thick sauce.
• Serve the pasta with freshly grated parmesan or pecorino Romano.

Notes

Make-Ahead: This is meant to be eaten as soon as it is finished being made.

How to Store: Cover the pasta and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This will not freeze well.

How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of pasta to a medium-sized saucepot and add ¼ cup to a 1/3 cup of water. Heat over low to medium heat while stirring with a spoon until hot. Adjust seasonings and serve.

You will know when the chickpeas are done cooking when you can gently squeeze them, and they smash.

Any tubular pasta, like penne, rigatoni, ditaloni, etc., will work.

Al dente means to the tooth. The pasta should be firm but not hard or chalky.

If you are using canned chickpeas, you’ll need three 15-ounce cans, strained, and there is no need to soak them or cook them in a pot.

Add ½ of the canned chickpeas and 2 cups of vegetable stock of water to the pasta. Puree the remaining half of the canned chickpeas with vegetable stock or water before adding it to the pasta pot with everything else.

Other herbs you could use are fresh oregano or sage.

If you want fresh tomatoes, puree or finely mince Roma tomatoes.

Nutrition

Calories: 531kcalCarbohydrates: 84gProtein: 20gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gSodium: 1345mgPotassium: 918mgFiber: 16gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 2494IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 115mgIron: 6mg

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Author: Chef Billy Parisi