Flavorful.
Fiber-filled
5-ingredient pasta.
In the event you’ve been following alongside on my adventures with my Italian cousin, Roberto (who taught me the way to make the proper aglio e olio and is my go-to guru for all conventional Italian pasta recipes), then you definately’ll know that that is the second nice recipe for pasta he taught me to make:
Pasta e ceci or pasta and chickpeas.
This 5-ingredient chickpea pasta recipe is so scrumptious and straightforward to make, you’ll be making it each week for a fast meal or a weeknight dinner!
So, buckle up, and mangiamo!
Disclaimer: A number of the hyperlinks on this put up could also be affiliate hyperlinks for merchandise I take advantage of and love. In the event you make a purchase order after clicking a kind of hyperlinks, I’ll earn a small affiliate fee, maybe sufficient to purchase some further gochujang or gochugaru 🙂
What’s Pasta e Ceci?
Pasta e ceci actually interprets into “pasta and chickpeas.” It’s a basic Italian dish ready in Southern and Central Italy with the aforementioned pasta and chickpeas and goes again 1000’s of years! It’s thought of a pasta dish for the budget-conscious or the “cucina povera” (delicacies of the poor).
There are various variations of pasta e ceci, together with recipes that incorporate chili flakes, tomato paste, cherry tomatoes, different recent tomatoes or perhaps a tomato sauce, recent herbs, and parmesan cheese. This chickpea pasta recipe will embrace solely the 5 substances that Roberto utilized in his model.
This creamy chickpea pasta recipe is so good and really easy to make, it’ll shoot proper to the highest of your checklist of recipes so as to add to your rotation. It’s an effective way to get extra plant-based protein and fiber into your food plan, and it’s simply a simple pasta to make for the entire household to get pleasure from. This explicit chickpea pasta recipe was one in all our Uncle John’s all-time favourite pastas!
One of many nice issues about this chickpea pasta recipe is that you may obtain a creamy sauce with out heavy cream or some other form of dairy. Belief me. It’s simple, wholesome, but in addition the last word consolation meals dish!
Key Elements and Notes on Substitutions for Chickpea Pasta Recipe.
This chickpea pasta recipe has solely 5 substances, so there isn’t a lot room (if any) for substitution. However let’s take have a look at every in flip and talk about:
Pasta.
Because the title of this dish, pasta e ceci, suggests, this chickpea pasta recipe requires pasta! As with the aglio e olio, Roberto really useful utilizing a protracted pasta. However as an alternative of spaghetti, he used tagliatelle. I wasn’t capable of finding a dry tagliatelle by my home, however opted for a fettuccini, which has similarities in size and width.
However as is commonly the case for a lot of these recipes, if all you’ve bought readily available is a field of penne or macaroni, that’s not a adequate purpose not to do this recipe! This recipe shall be good with nearly any pasta (rigatoni may be pushing it…), so go together with what you bought!
And naturally, if you wish to hold this recipe gluten-free, make certain to exchange your common pasta with gluten-free pasta!
The “ceci” in pasta e ceci particularly refers to chickpeas or garbanzo beans. When Roberto made this for us, he mentioned that he would favor making the chickpeas himself (i.e., rehydrating dry chickpeas and cooking them for hours), however… he made it utilizing a can of chickpeas to save lots of on time. So, take into account this paragraph permission to make use of canned chickpeas for this chickpea pasta recipe!
Now, not all cans of chickpeas are created equal. Roberto used a can of salted chickpeas when he made this for us, however should you desire to manage the quantity of salt on this recipe, search for an unsalted can of chickpeas.
Are you able to change with another beans for this chickpea pasta recipe? It gained’t be referred to as “pasta e ceci” anymore, however I see no purpose why not? In the event you don’t have chickpeas readily available, go forward and substitute with different white beans: navy beans, cannellini beans, and even kidney beans are all nice decisions for a fast and engaging substitution.
Further Virgin Olive Oil.
It’s no secret that Roberto prefers further virgin olive oil to only about some other supply of fats (together with butter). This chickpea pasta recipe is not any exception to that! The recipe begins out with a good quantity of oil, the flavour and fattiness of which turns into essential when creating a wonderfully creamy pasta with none dairy.
Now, if you wish to make an oil-free model, you may substitute the olive oil with vegetable broth. It gained’t have fairly the richness, nor will the sauce emulsify in the best way it’ll when olive oil is included; nevertheless, it’ll nonetheless be a hearty and scrumptious pasta!
Garlic (Aglio).
This chickpea pasta recipe requires garlic to assist with including a bit taste to the sauce. Not quite a lot of garlic–a pair garlic cloves will do. Nevertheless, should you don’t like garlic (there are literally individuals who don’t like garlic–don’t decide them!), you may at all times skip the garlic.
Salt (Sale).
As a result of there are so few substances, this chickpea pasta recipe depends on correctly salted pasta water for full taste. Observe, although, that Roberto didn’t add sea salt (you can even use kosher salt) to both the chickpeas (as a result of he didn’t buy a can of unsalted chickpeas) or the pasta, as soon as included within the sauce. As long as you generously salt your pasta water and add a pinch of salt to the chickpeas (if you are going to buy unsalted chickpeas), you should have a lot of taste on this chickpea pasta recipe.
Step-by-Step Directions for Making This Chickpea Pasta Recipe.
Whereas there are solely a handful of substances, there are some very particular steps for making this creamy chickpea pasta recipe.
Step 1.
To a medium pot, add your water and salt and produce it to a mild boil.
Step 2.
To a big pan over medium-high warmth, add olive oil (or vegetable broth if cooking oil-free), cooked chickpeas, and sea salt (should you’re utilizing an unsalted can of chickpeas). Enable it to return to a pleasant sizzle.
Then, as soon as your pasta water is boiling, add the garlic to the pan of chickpeas and place your pan on high of the pasta pot with the boiling water, in lieu of over an open flame. This may make sure that your oil picks up the flavors with out burning the garlic. You will note little bubbles begin to type after about quarter-hour. Take away the pan from the highest of your pasta water pot and add pasta to your pasta water. Cook dinner for 1 minute lower than the allotted cooking time on the field to make al dente pasta.
Step 3.
Whereas your pasta is cooking, take away half the cooked chickpeas out of your pan and place them in a big and tall container (so you need to use an immersion blender). Add 1/4 cup of the pasta water after which, utilizing your immersion blender, mix till easy. In the event you don’t have an immersion blender, you may place your cooked chickpeas into a big bowl, along with 1/4 cup pasta water and use a potato masher or hand mixer to mix them.
Step 4.
Pour the blended chickpea combination again within the pan with remaining chickpeas. As soon as your pasta is completed cooking (1 minute earlier than the directions say they’re performed), drain the pasta and place it within the pan with the chickpeas. Utilizing tongs, vigorously stir the pasta into the oil over low warmth for about 1 minute. The agitation from stirring the pasta over the warmth, along with the fats from the oil, is what is going to trigger the whole lot to return collectively and make this the creamiest dairy-free pasta ever.
Serve with an additional drizzle of olive oil or a crack of black pepper. I garnished my pasta with a bit inexperienced onion, only for colour, however you may garnish with no matter you want (recent parsley, basil, oregano, and many others.) or nothing!
Ceaselessly Requested Questions.
What’s pasta e ceci?
“Pasta e ceci” is Italian for “pasta and chickpeas” and refers to a basic Italian pasta dish that includes a creamy sauce product of chickpeas.
Is pasta e ceci vegan?
Pasta a ceci or pasta and chickpeas might be made vegan utilizing dairy and egg-free pasta and omitting dairy from the sauce. As a result of the sauce is often ready by emulsifying blended chickpeas with pasta water and additional virgin olive oil, dairy will not be essential to create the creamy sauce for pasta e ceci.
Can pasta e ceci be made gluten-free?
Sure. In the event you change common pasta with gluten-free pasta, pasta e ceci might be fully gluten-free.
Can I take advantage of canned chickpeas for pasta e ceci?
Sure, you need to use canned chickpeas for pasta e ceci. Simply be careful for salt content material in canned beans.
Need Extra Pasta and Noodle Recipes?
7
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio.
A easy however satisfying pasta dish with solely a handful of substances!
8
9
My Mother’s Simple Vegetarian Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles).
The proper noodle dish to your vacation desk!
10
Creamy Vegan Mac ‘n Cheese Casserole.
The creamiest most scrumptious mac ‘n cheese of your life!!
11
Simple & Genuine Chilly Kong Guksu (Soybean Noodles)
Scrumptious and chilly noodle dish made with home made soy milk!
12
15-Minute Spicy & Chilly Bibim Kimchi Noodles
Spicy, refreshing and scrumptious kimchi noodles!
Recipe Card.
Chickpea Pasta (Pasta e Ceci)
A easy and scrumptious pasta dish with solely a handful of substances!
- 2 tbsp course sea salt
- 1/4 cup further virgin olive oil (substitute with vegetable broth to make this oil-free)
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 lb dried tagliatelle or fettuccini (use gluten-free pasta to maintain this recipe gluten-free)
-
To a medium pot, add your pasta water and salt and produce it to a mild boil.
-
To a big pan over medium-high warmth, add olive oil (or vegetable broth if cooking oil-free), cooked chickpeas, and sea salt (should you’re utilizing an unsalted can of chickpeas). Enable it to return to a pleasant sizzle. Then, as soon as your pasta water is boiling, add the garlic to the pan of chickpeas and place your pan on high of the pasta pot with the boiling water, in lieu of over an open flame. This may make sure that your oil picks up the flavors with out burning the garlic. You will note little bubbles begin to type after about quarter-hour. Take away the pan from the highest of your pasta water pot and add pasta to your pasta water. Cook dinner for 1 minute lower than the allotted cooking time on the field to make al dente pasta.
-
Whereas your pasta is cooking, take away half the cooked chickpeas out of your pan and place them in a big and tall container (so you need to use an immersion blender). Add 1/4 cup of the pasta water after which, utilizing your immersion blender, mix till easy. If you do not have an immersion blender, you may place your cooked chickpeas into a big bowl, along with 1/4 cup pasta water and use a potato masher or hand mixer to mix them.
-
Pour the blended chickpea combination again within the pan with remaining chickpeas. As soon as your pasta is completed cooking (1 minute earlier than the directions say they’re performed), drain the pasta and place it within the pan with the chickpeas. Utilizing tongs, vigorously stir the pasta into the oil over low warmth for about 1 minute. The agitation from stirring the pasta over the warmth, along with the fats from the oil, is what is going to trigger the whole lot to return collectively and make this the creamiest dairy-free pasta ever.
-
Serve with an additional drizzle of olive oil or a crack of black pepper. I garnished my pasta with a bit inexperienced onion, only for colour, however you may garnish with no matter you want (recent parsley, basil, oregano, and many others.) or nothing!
Did you want this recipe? If that’s the case, please depart a score and share it!
