Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas)
Ingredients
- 1medium onion, quartered
- 1medium carrot, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 celery stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6cloves garlic, 4 whole, 2 chopped
- 1/3cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt
- 2tablespoons tomato paste or sauce
- 2 15 oz. cans chick peas, rinsed
- 1pound small pasta of your choice
- 3-5sprigs rosemary
- Squeeze of lemon
- Shaved Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano
- Water as needed (or stock, if you prefer)
Instructions
- Pulse onion, carrot celery and whole garlic cloves in a food processor. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Wipe out the food processor and set aside.
- Heat 1/8 cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add vegetable mixture and season with salt. Cook for about 8 minutes, scraping the pan often. Stir in tomato paste and a 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and summer until the liquid has almost evaporated.
- Add chickpeas and additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, depending on how dry the mixture looks. Simmer for a few minutes.
- Transfer 1 cup chickpea mixture to the food processor, puree until smooth and stir back into the sauce.
- Prepare pasta according to directions on package, reserving some of the liquid.
- Stir in the pasta and 1/2 cup pasta liquid into the sauce, adding more liquid as necessary. The sauce should coat the pasta well.
- Heat remaining oil in a small skillet. Add chopped garlic and rosemary to the oil. Cook until the rosemary crisps up and becomes fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Drizzle over the top of the pasta along with a squeeze of lemon.
- Top with cheese.
Anne started TeachEatLove as a way to encourage other parents in their efforts to raise healthy eaters by providing delicious, seasonally inspired recipes. Her toddler, who was once a very picky eater, is now happy to eat just about anything on her plate.