Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Italian

Pasta e ceci

Vegetarian

A thick, comforting pot of small pasta cooked with chickpeas, garlic, rosemary and a touch of tomato until half soup, half stew — Roman home cooking at its most frugal.

Pasta e ceci is an Italian pasta dish from Italy, ready in about 40 minutes and made with chickpeas, dried pasta and olive oil. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking
Delicious chickpea soup served in a white bowl on a decorative placemat.
Photo: Brad Hines / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
10 min
Cook
30 min
Total
40 min
Serves
4
Level
Beginner
Calories
490

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Warm 3 tbsp oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat with the garlic (opens in a new tab), rosemary (opens in a new tab) and chilli for 2–3 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste (opens in a new tab) and cook for 1 minute.

  2. Step 2

    Add the chickpeas (opens in a new tab) and stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the garlic (opens in a new tab) and rosemary (opens in a new tab), then blend about a third of the chickpeas in the pot with a stick blender (or mash them) to thicken the base.

  3. Step 3

    Add the pasta (opens in a new tab) and simmer, stirring often so it doesn't stick, until tender — about 10–12 minutes. Add hot water if it thickens too much; it should be spoonable and creamy.

  4. Step 4

    Season with salt and pepper (opens in a new tab), rest for 2 minutes, and serve with a drizzle of the remaining oil and Parmesan (opens in a new tab) if you like.

    • 2 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Lazio and southern Italy, Italy · Commonly attributedCooked throughout central and southern Italy; Romans traditionally eat it on Fridays.More food from Italy
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Pasta · Soups · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered
Taste
earthy, herby, savoury
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Mediterranean-style · Calorie-conscious
Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Budget-friendly · Everyday
Cook more with
Chickpeas · Dried pasta · Rosemary (fresh) · Garlic · Tomato paste · Vegetable stock
Techniques
Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom parmesan
  • May contain: Eggsfrom dried pasta
  • Contains: Wheatfrom dried pasta
  • Contains: Glutenfrom dried pasta, vegetable stock
  • May contain: Celeryfrom vegetable stock

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

490 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 440 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 13%
  • Carbohydrate 55%
  • Fat 32%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy490 kcal112 kcal
Protein15.9 g3.6 g
Carbohydrate68.2 g15.5 g
Net carbohydrate58.7 g13.3 g
Sugars8 g1.8 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre9.5 g2.2 g
Fat17.8 g4 g
Saturated fat2.3 g0.5 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium——
Salt equivalent——
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
361 mg
Calcium
78 mg
Iron
3.3 mg
Magnesium
63 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
35 µg
Vitamin C
3 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
254 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: red chilli flakes, parmesan.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): salt, black pepper — so sodium is shown as unknown.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Cooking the pasta in the pot releases starch that makes the dish creamy without cream.

Common mistakes

  • Walking away while the pasta cooks — it catches on the bottom.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge; it thickens as it stands.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently with a splash of water.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like