Pasta e Ceci alla Romana
A comforting Roman chickpea soup with pasta, gently flavoured with rosemary and enriched by salted anchovies dissolved in olive oil.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 490 kcal
Equipment
- •heavy-based saucepan or Dutch oven
- •wooden spoon
- •immersion blender or potato masher
- •ladle
- •sharp knife
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 490 kcal
- fat
- 16 g
- carbs
- 68 g
- fibre
- 11 g
- protein
- 18 g
- calories
- 490 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Warm the olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat.
- 2
Add the garlic, rosemary sprig, chilli flakes, and anchovy fillets to the warm oil.
- 3
Cook gently for three minutes until the anchovies break down and melt into the oil.
- 4
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for one minute until deeply fragrant.
- 5
Tip in the cooked chickpeas and stir to coat them in the seasoned oil.
- 6
Pour in the hot vegetable broth and bring the liquid to a gentle boil.
- 7
Ladle out one cup of chickpeas with broth and blend until completely smooth.
- 8
Pour the puréed chickpeas back into the saucepan and discard the rosemary sprig.
- 9
Add the ditalini pasta and simmer until al dente, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
- 10
Season with black pepper, remove from heat, and rest for three minutes before serving.
Chef's tips
Puréeing a portion of the chickpeas is essential for creating the traditional creamy texture without adding cream or flour. Keep extra hot broth or boiling water nearby to loosen the soup if the pasta absorbs too much liquid while cooking.
Ingredient substitutions
- anchovy fillets in olive oil → salted capers (rinsed) for a meatless alternative, though the savoury depth will differ
- ditalini pasta → broken spaghetti or tubetti
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, noting the pasta will absorb the broth as it sits.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat, adding a splash of water or hot broth to restore the soupy consistency.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the anchovies over high heat instead of gently melting them into the warm oil
- •Leaving the soup too watery by skipping the step of blending a portion of the chickpeas
- •Overcooking the small pasta until soft instead of keeping it distinctly al dente
Serving suggestions
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