Creamy Chickpea Pasta

A creamy bowl of gnocchi soup garnished with fresh rosemary. The soup is in a white bowl, and a wooden spoon rests inside. A cozy, rustic background with stacked firewood adds warmth to the scene.

5 from 4 votes

This creamy chickpea pasta is every Nonna's best kept secret. A modern take on the beloved pasta e ceci. We blend it all together to create the most luscious sauce that's perfect for picky eaters as we sneak in the veggies 🤐.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chickpea recipe, pasta, pasta and chickpeas, pasta dish, pasta recipe

Servings: portions

Author: The Modern Nonna

Equipment

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion diced
1 celery rib diced
5 cloves garlic smashed
1 sprig rosemary
1 teaspoon Calabrian chili oil or any spicy oil (optional)
1 can organic chickpeas small can
1 ½ cups chicken broth
½ teaspoon salt to taste
¼ teaspoon pepper to taste
1 cup pastina any small pasta shape
½ cup parmigiano cheese grated
splash of pasta water at the end

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a pot on medium heat, add the oil. Let the oil come to a shimmer and add in the onions, celery, garlic, and a sprig of rosemary.
Optionally, drizzle a touch of Calabrian chili oil for spice. You can use a piece of chili pepper or even chili flakes if you like heat.
Now, let it cook for 5 minutes as you stir. After the veggies have softened, add in the chickpeas, salt, pepper, and broth.
Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the veggies have fully softened.
Now, take it off the heat, let it cool a bit, take out the rosemary sprig, transfer the rest of it carefully into a blender, blend until smooth.
Pour the blended chickpea cream back into the pot and add the grated Parmesan cheese. Please use good quality Parmigiano Reggiano cheese here only. Stir and set aside.
In the meantime, boil the pastina of choice in boiling salted water. I decided to use baby shells today but any tiny pasta shape will work.
Once boiled, reserve some of the pasta water and strain the rest of the pastina.
Add the pastina into the creamy chickpea sauce with a splash of that pasta water (or until desired consistency).
Serve with extra hot pepper oil on top (or a drizzle of finishing olive oil) and enjoy!

Video

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