The pasta with chickpeas I propose is a genuine, nutritious dish that is surprisingly simple to prepare.

It’s a traditional recipe that always wins over everyone, young and old, thanks to its enveloping texture and delicate flavor.

The preparation I suggest allows you to obtain pasta with soft and creamy chickpeas, without resorting to heavy sautéing, making the dish lighter yet still rich in flavor.

Pasta and chickpeas represent a perfect one-dish meal, ideal for colder days or when you want to serve something warm, comforting, and healthy.

Served with a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil and, if desired, ground black pepper, it becomes a true treat for the palate, combining simplicity and tradition.

Including legumes in your diet at least three times a week is a valuable habit for the well-being of the whole family.

Chickpeas, in particular, are an excellent source of plant proteins, fibers, vitamins, and minerals, essential for a balanced diet.

Introducing them in the form of pasta with chickpeas is also a great way to familiarize children with legumes, thanks to the creamy texture and delicate flavor that makes them particularly appetizing.

Another aspect not to be overlooked is the convenience of this dish: with a few simple and inexpensive ingredients, you can create a complete, healthy dish that satisfies with taste.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 4People
Cooking methods: Stove
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

368.29 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 368.29 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 61.27 (g) of which sugars 8.36 (g)
Proteins 15.67 (g)
Fat 7.46 (g) of which saturated 0.98 (g)of which unsaturated 2.52 (g)
Fibers 9.06 (g)
Sodium 1,545.59 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 188 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients

7 oz chickpeas
to taste coarse salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 onion (pink)
1 carrot
1/2 stalk celery
2 leaves bay leaves
6 tomatoes (ripe)
to taste water
11.3 oz pasta (short)
to taste extra virgin olive oil
to taste black pepper

Tools

1 Bowl large glass
1 Pot high with thick bottom
1 Skimmer

Steps

To prepare pasta with chickpeas, first soak the dry chickpeas for about 17/18 hours.

Usually, I soak them around 4:00 PM in the afternoon to start cooking them around 10:00 AM the following morning.

Weigh the chickpeas and putting them in moderately warm water, add a handful of coarse salt and a teaspoon of baking soda.

Stir and leave as is. After 8 hours, change the water, this time adding a little salt and baking soda.
The next morning, after the indicated time has passed, wash the chickpeas well under running water and place them in a tall pot.
Wash onion, celery, and carrot and after cleaning them, cut them into small pieces.
Peel the tomatoes, remove the seeds, and cut them into pieces.
In the pot, add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, and tomatoes.
Cover with water that exceeds the level of the chickpeas by about 5 fingers.
Add 2 bay leaves.
Place on the heat, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil over high flame.
At this point, using a skimmer, remove all the foam formed on the surface.
Lower the flame to the minimum, yet not letting it lose the boil.
Move the lid slightly to create a vent and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 and a half hours.

Anyway, adjust by checking the degree of softness achieved and, if necessary, extend the cooking.

If water is needed, heat it separately and add it to the chickpeas only when hot.

About ten minutes before completing the cooking, taste the chickpeas and their broth to check their degree of saltiness, as they absorb salt from the soaking water and then release it during cooking.
This will help us understand how much salt to add.
In some cases, it may not even be necessary.
Finally, remove the bay leaves.
At this point, if the liquid part appears reduced, pour a little hot water into the pot to start cooking the pasta.
Raise the flame and at the boil, add the short pasta we have chosen and stir.

Once back to a boil, lower the flame and cook this way, stirring several times and always ensuring that the pasta has the right amount of water to cook well.
If more water is needed, preferably add it hot and always a little at a time so that the pasta does not become watery in the end.
Follow the cooking time indicated on the package. Before turning off, adjust the salt.
Serve immediately with raw extra virgin olive oil.
For adults, a grind of black pepper on top is excellent.
The pasta with chickpeas is now ready.