Pasta Con Ceci | Pasta with Chickpeas

In today’s video, Nick is making a comforting and hearty Italian classic: Pasta con Ceci(Pasta with Chickpeas). Perfect for a cozy family meal, this dish serves 4-6 people and is simple yet packed with flavour, bringing together tender chickpeas, rich tomatoes, and al dente pasta. Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients:
– Olive oil
– 1 small onion, chopped
– 2 cloves garlic, chopped
– 1/2 cup chopped parsley
– Salt and pepper, to taste
– 500g whole peeled tomatoes
– 500g tomato/basil sauce
– 2 cups cooked chickpeas (either canned or dried, soaked overnight, and boiled for 45 minutes)
– 500g tubetini pasta (or any small pasta shape)

**Optional**: You can swap the chickpeas for cannellini or borlotti beans for a “Pasta e Fagioli” variation.

Steps:
1. In a large pan, heat some olive oil and fry the onion, garlic, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add the whole peeled tomatoes and cook for 15 minutes. Then stir in the tomato basil sauce and cook for another 15 minutes.
3. While the sauce simmers, boil your tubetini pasta in a large pot of salted water until it’s almost fully cooked.
4. Toss in the chickpeas and cook for another minute.
5. Drain the pasta, reserving a bit of the water in case you need to loosen the sauce. Mix the tomato sauce through the pasta and chickpeas.
6. Plate it up with freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese and a sprinkle of chilli flakes for a little heat (optional).

Tip – For a lighter version, skip the tomato sauce and go for “Olio Crudo” style—simply toss the pasta and chickpeas with olive oil, grated cheese, pepper, and chilli flakes.

Enjoy this comforting Italian dish with friends and family!

Buon Appetito xx

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