Pasta and Chickpeas

Pasta and chickpeas is a traditional Italian dish, very simple to prepare and delicious. Here is a basic recipe; remember you can add or modify ingredients based on your tastes or needs:

Ingredients

• 250 g cooked chickpeas (or dried if you prefer to soak and cook them)
• 200 g short pasta (ditalini, tubetti, etc.)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 400 ml tomato passata (optional)
• Vegetable broth or water as needed
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chili pepper (optional)

Preparation

1. If using dried chickpeas, soak them the night before and cook in plenty of water until tender.

2. In a large pot, sauté the garlic clove in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. If you like, you can also add chili pepper for a spicy kick.

3. Add the cooked chickpeas and let them flavor for a few minutes.

4. If you decide to use tomato passata, add it now and cook for about 10 minutes.

5. Pour in the vegetable broth or water to cover everything and bring to a boil.

6. Add the pasta and cook it directly in the broth with the chickpeas, following the cooking time indicated on the package. Make sure to stir occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

7. When the pasta is almost cooked, add a sprig of rosemary to aromatize and adjust salt and pepper.

8. Remove the garlic and rosemary before serving, plate and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil raw.

Trivia

Pasta and chickpeas is a very popular dish in Italy and is considered a comfort food par excellence. Every region has its own variations, some more liquid almost like a soup, others drier. In some versions, a bit of pancetta or guanciale is also added for a more intense flavor. Buon appetito!