The first time I had Pasta e Ceci was at a little hole in the wall pasta joint called Il Corvo in Seattle. Now, by hole in the wall, I actually mean that they’re wildly popular and have lines out the door for the 4 hours they’re open Mondays through Fridays. Their menu changes daily and generally features one vegetarian pasta dish. On my visit, they were serving up cavatelli e ceci, and it was divine. From scratch cavatelli simmered with a sofrito of carrots, celery and onion, with rosemary, garbanzo beans, and a touch of tomato paste. There are so many versions of this classic Italian dish, the possibilities for tweaking to just your liking are endless.
Recently, the memory of that visit to Il Corvo had been on my mind. I love that it’s a complete one pot meal – veggies, starch, and protein from the garbanzos – that comes together quickly but tastes (and smells!) like it’s been simmering for hours, making for a rustic and oh so satisfying weeknight meal. A portion of the chickpea and sofrito mix are blended together before adding the pasta, thickening the broth and melding the flavors together. My version calls for canned chickpeas. I’m sure a traditional Italian grandmother would consider this sacrilege but I’ve made chickpeas from scratch before and was wholly unimpressed. It’s canned all the way for this girl. If you’re doubtful, keep in mind that the 15 minutes of simmering time will render the canned beans creamy and tender.
For the pasta, I used ditalini but I’ve also made it with elbow macaroni. Any small, tubular pasta will do. Sadly, homemade cavatelli will have to wait for a lazy Sunday with hours to spare. It’s right up there with my from scratch gnocchi goals. Once the starchy pasta is added to the chickpea mix, the sauce will begin to thicken up considerably. It starts out looking like a soup (and is often referred to as chickpea soup) but becomes less so, especially as it cools. Even as I was taking pictures for the blog, I noticed the difference in the sauce from the first photos to the last. Blending less of the chickpea mixture and adding less pasta will keep the final dish more in the soup realm.
Whether you call it soup or pasta, be sure to garnish with freshly chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. And to soak up every last bit of sauce, a hunk – or two – of crusty bread.
Buon appetito!
- 2 cups onion, diced
- ½ cup carrots, diced
- ½ cup celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 15 ounce cans chickpeas, drained & rinsed
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (one 32 ounce box)
- 6 ounces ditalini pasta
- salt & pepper to taste
- flat leaf parsley, chopped (optional)
- Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and salt. Sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to distribute, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot.
- Add vegetable broth and garbanzo beans to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.
- Remove bay leaf and rosemary sprigs. Transfer 1½ - 3 cups (depending on desired thickness of sauce, I usually go with 2½) chickpea and veggie mixture to a food processor or blender and purée until smooth, then add back to pot. Drain pasta and add to pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm garnished with parsley.
- When reheating leftovers, add ¼ cup water per 1 cup pasta to thin the sauce.
