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Pasta e Ceci

Pasta e Ceci

A comforting Italian soup of tender chickpeas and ditalini pasta simmered in a fragrant soffritto broth, finished with fresh parsley and grated cheese.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Soaking Time 8 hours
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 357
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chickpeas
  • 1.5 cups dried chickpeas soaked overnight (8–24 hours)
Broth & Sofritto
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 ribs celery diced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 medium carrots diced (about 1 cup)
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 leaf bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
  • 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
  • red pepper flakes pinch (optional)
Pasta & Garnish
  • 6 cups water or more as needed
  • 1 cup ditalini pasta
  • 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley chopped, for garnish
  • Pecorino Romano or Parmesan grated, for serving

Method
 

Soaking
  1. Place chickpeas in a large bowl, cover with water by 2 inches and soak 8–24 hours. Drain before using.
Soffritto & Simmer
  1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots; cook until onion is translucent, about 6–8 minutes.
  2. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1–2 minutes, being careful not to let it brown.
  3. Add soaked chickpeas, water, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas are tender, about 1 hour.
Finishing
  1. Remove rosemary and bay leaf. Stir in ditalini pasta and simmer until pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.
  2. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle parsley and cheese on top, drizzle with olive oil to serve.

Notes

Testing Note #1: Soaking chickpeas 24 hours gives melt-in-your-mouth creaminess.
Testing Note #2: Adding bay leaf toward the end avoids grassy flavor.
Testing Note #3: A splash of water when reheating revives thickened soup beautifully.