Pasta e Ceci
Pasta e Ceci. A cozy soup for Monday and a soup to celebrate world pasta day?! The perfect start to another week of fall with a cozy, hearty, warm your bones soup. Creamy mixture of chickpeas filled with lots of herbs and hearty pasta. Topped with more herbs, grated Parmesan, and red pepper flakes. And make sure you serve this one with lots of crusty bread for dunking in all that creamy deliciousness !!
It’s another fall Monday, so you know we need soup. But when it’s world pasta day you need a soup that also includes pasta. You know we Italians cannot pass up the opportunity to celebrate pasta. So this Italian classic was the pick for tonight’s dinner. And let me tell you, you guys need this one in your life this fall. It’s extra cozy, super hearty, and just an all around warm your bones kind of dish. And that’s everything you need on a Monday.
Pasta e Ceci is an Italian classic that is made of creamy pureed chickpeas, filled with lots of herbs, and mix with everyone’s favorite…pasta. Does it get much better than soup and pasta all in one?! Definitely not in my book. This soup can be made as a white or a red soup, but we chose to go with white. And seriously it’s so so good.
Today has definitely been dragging on, so this soup has really given me something to look forward to after work…andddd also a glass of wine. Monday soup and wine is a must. And I am, of course, already sitting here ready for the weekend again. Another weekend of exciting plans coming up, and as always more fall foods !!
Ingredients
1/3 cup olive oil; divided
1 onion; chopped
2 carrots; chopped
2 garlic cloves; chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh sage
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 pound dried chickpeas
1 1/2 cups short-cut pasta
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese for serving
Directions
Soak the beans in 3 quarts of water and 3 tablespoons of salt overnight.
In a large pot, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add the onions and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for another minute and add the herbs. Drain the beans from the water, reserving the water. Add the beans to the pot. Stir until the beans are coated with olive oil. Add the remaining olive oil and 2 quarts of plain water. Add 1 quart of the salted water from the beans.
Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for about 1 hour. Discard the sprigs of rosemary, sage, and thyme. Remove half of the soup mixture and puree in a blender until smooth. Return the pureed soup to the pot. If the soup seems thick add some of the reserved salted water.
Bring back to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente. If the soup gets too thick, add more of the reserved salted water. Serve topped with olive oil and parmesan cheese.
