Pasta e Ceci – Traditional Italian Chickpea and Pasta Soup

Preparation

1. 01

   sweating over medium heat

   Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a wide saucepan and heat over a medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion, celery and carrot. Sweat over a low heat for approximately 8–10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

2. 02

   Quick sweat

   Add the finely chopped garlic and tomato purée. Continue to cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes, until the tomato purée smells fragrant.

3. 03

   simmering over low heat

   Add the drained chickpeas and the whole rosemary sprig to the pan. Pour in approximately 800 ml of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. 04

   Mashing

   Using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon, mash approximately one-third of the chickpeas in the pan to create a creamy consistency. This will give the soup its characteristic thick texture.

5. 05

   Cooking the pasta

   Add the ditalini pasta to the pan. Cook for approximately 10–12 minutes, until the pasta is al dente. Stir occasionally. If the consistency is too thick, add hot water a little at a time.

6. 06

   serving

   Season with salt and pepper. Remove the rosemary sprig. Serve hot; drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over the top and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.