The creamy pasta and chickpea soup is a home-cooking classic, to bring to the table in the simplest version or in fragrant variations with spices and aromatic herbs: red chili, rosemary, sage or thyme.
Each time a different and always comforting flavor—try them all!
Preparation times vary depending on whether you use dried chickpeas or already cooked chickpeas.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Portions: 2People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Adjust the quantities of pasta and legumes according to your meal plan.
- 4 oz risoni (small rice-shaped pasta) (whole wheat)
- cooked chickpeas (2 portions, weight according to your meal plan)
- 7/8 cup water (+ more water if needed)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch mixed peppercorns (with grinder)
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil (to finish)
- spices (red chili pepper)
- aromatic herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme)
Suggested tools
- 1 Saucepan with lid, preferably glass
- Immersion blender
- Pot for cooking pasta
Preparation
Prepare the chickpeas following the procedure described in cooking chickpeas in a pressure cooker | basic recipe or, if you already have them ready in the freezer, thaw them.
Alternatively, you can use pre-cooked packaged chickpeas.
Remember to rinse them well under running water: canned legumes often contain additives, salt and sometimes sugar [always read the label].
Among packaging types, glass containers are preferable to tins [glass does not release substances into the contents].
Put the cooked chickpeas into a saucepan, add 7/8 cup of water and bring to a boil.
Cook with the lid on [preferably glass], stirring occasionally.
If the chickpeas are soft only a few minutes are needed; if they are firm they need at least 10 minutes.
Depending on the chickpea texture, you will get a more or less creamy soup.
If desired, blend about half of the chickpeas for a creamy texture while keeping some whole chickpeas, or mash them with a fork and mix well.
Adjust salt.For brothy first courses, to avoid blood sugar spikes, it is advisable to cook the pasta separately, then rinse it and add it to the separately prepared brothy sauce; this way the starch released by the pasta into the cooking water is removed.
In another pot cook the pasta al dente, quickly rinse it under running water to reduce surface starch and drain it.
While the pasta cooks, bring the chickpeas back to a boil.
Cooked chickpeas reduced to a cream tend to thicken as they cool.
To return them to the right consistency, add water as needed and bring back to a boil.
Pour the pasta into the saucepan with the chickpeas and mix well to combine the flavors.Serve plain or in fragrant variations with spices and aromatic herbs: red chili, rosemary, sage or thyme.
Plate.
Grind the pepper and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.Your creamy pasta and chickpea soup is ready.
Enjoy your meal!
It is a complete dish; add your portion of vegetables to compose a balanced meal or one-dish meal that helps keep blood sugar stable.
Storage, tips and variations
Storage
The pasta absorbs the broth and overcooks quickly — best consumed immediately.
Tips and variations
Use whole wheat pasta to increase fiber content.
If you prefer a more brothy consistency, add water and a homemade light vegetable stock cube or vegetable broth.
FAQ – Questions and Answers
If you need to reduce fiber
After cooking remove the skins or seed coats of the chickpeas.
Or use hulled (decorticated) chickpeas.
