Pasta with Chickpeas (also known as Pasta E Ceci), combines hearty chickpeas, fresh spinach and tomatoes, and comforting pasta to make a delicious, vegetarian pasta dish that is as delicious as it is classic. This easy pasta is a traditional Italian favorite and brings together wholesome ingredients to create a creamy, flavorful sauce that clings perfectly to each bite of pasta. Perfect for quick weeknight dinners, or laid-back dinner parties with friends.
If I had to pick a favorite meal (thank god I DON'T have to!), pasta would probably fall into at least my top three. (Lazy Ravioli Lasagna, Salmon Pasta, Parmesan Garlic Chicken Pasta, Cajun Shrimp Pasta, and Boursin Cheese Chicken Pasta are just a few of my favorite pastas!) I love the versatility of it, the different types and textures of noodles, and the endless variety of sauces and toppings you can add to it. We like to do a lot of vegetarian pasta dishes at our house and often incorporate beans into the pasta sauce for some added protein.
This Pasta with Chickpeas recipe is one of our new favorites. I love this method, borrowed from Serious Eats, that blends some of the chickpeas right into the sauce to make it creamy without even needing to add a bunch of heavy cream. Simple and delicious!
In This Post
Why This Recipe Works
Pasta With Chickpeas is one of those traditional Italian pasta recipes that has been made in many ways over the last hundreds of years. Here's why it's so great:
- Versatile. This dish is so easy to customize with all your favorite ingredients. You can use any type of pasta you want (though I prefer shorter pasta for this dish), add in extra veggies, omit the cheese, or adjust for any dietary restrictions. The riffs on this pasta are many, so use this as a base and make it your own.
- Great plant-based protein. This delicious pasta e ceci dish is a great way to incorporate plant-based protein into your meals, thanks to the garbanzo beans (chickpeas) which are rich in protein and fiber.
- Deliciously creamy sauce. The combination of roasted tomatoes, garlic, and fresh herbs creates a flavorful tomato sauce that coats the pasta beautifully.
- Added veggies. The addition of spinach here adds a boost of nutrients, making this dish not only delicious but also nutritious.
- Easy. There are a few extra steps involved here, but making this pasta is fairly easy and simple enough to make for a weeknight dinner. It also keeps well in the fridge so you can easily make it ahead of time. (Want another great easy recipe? Check out my guide for how to prepare frozen ravioli for 5 easy meal ideas!)
Key Ingredients
This has become one of my favorite pasta recipes because of its simple, staple ingredients. Here's what you'll need.
- Chickpeas. These legumes are the star of the show, providing a creamy texture and a good source of plant-based protein. I use canned chickpeas for this recipe but you can use dry chickpeas if you prefer. Just note that you'll need extra time to soak them.
- Pasta. Choose your favorite traditional pasta noodle here. I like using a good quality short pasta like rigatoni, as I think the consistency of the sauce works well with it, but you can use whatever type of noodle you like best, or that you have on hand.
- White wine and vegetable broth. These will add extra flavor to the pasta and some much-needed moisture to the dish.
- Spinach. Packed with vitamins and minerals, spinach adds color, flavor, and nutrition to the dish.
- Fresh tomatoes. I use tomato paste for the sauce here and then add oven-roasted tomatoes at the end for some great color and flavor.
- Parmesan cheese. Shredded parmesan or pecorino romano cheese adds a salty, umami flavor to the dish, balancing out the acidity of the tomatoes and making the sauce ultra-creamy.
- Fresh herbs. Fresh rosemary and parsley bring a burst of freshness and aroma to the pasta.
How To Make Pasta E Ceci
Making this creamy chickpea pasta recipe has just a few simple steps. Here's what you'll do:
- Roast the tomatoes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a large pan with parchment paper. Place the cherry tomatoes on the sheet pan, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and roast for 25 minutes.
- Make the sauce. In a large pot or a Dutch oven, heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat, then add the diced garlic, rosemary, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant. Add the tomato paste, cook briefly, then add a splash of white wine to deglaze the pot.
- Add the chickpeas. Remove the sauce from heat and pour it into a food processor or blender. Add a portion of the canned chickpeas and vegetable broth to the sauce, and blend until smooth. (Alternatively, if you have an immersion blender you can use that to do all of your blending in your pot.
- Add the pasta. Return the blended sauce to the pot or Dutch oven. Add remaining chickpeas, stock, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir in pasta and cook until al dente.
- Add the cheese, tomatoes and spinach. Adjust the consistency of the sauce with water or more veggie stock if needed, then stir in shredded cheese, roasted tomatoes, and chopped spinach.
- Serve. Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Variations And Substitutions
One of the great things about Pasta E Ceci is that it's incredibly versatile. There are thousands of versions that have been created over the years so feel free to add your own twist on this delicious pasta recipe to make it your own! Here are some ideas to mix up this creamy chickpea pasta recipe.
- Make it vegan. For a vegan version of this pasta with chickpeas, omit the cheese or use vegan parmesan.
- Change up the pasta. Use any type of pasta you prefer, such as rigatoni, penne, whole wheat pasta, or spaghetti. You could even use the popular Banza chickpea pasta to make this an extra protein-packed plant-based pasta dish.
- Mix up the greens. Experiment with different greens like kale or Swiss chard. Escarole is also a popular addition to pasta with chickpeas.
- Change the beans. Chickpeas are a great source of protein, but so are other types of beans. Substitute white beans for the chickpeas for a different flavor or texture.
- Add some citrus. Add a squeeze of lemon juice for extra freshness.
- Add some spice. Spice it up with smoked paprika or extra red pepper flakes for heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
I love the flavor roasting the tomatoes gives this dish. But, if you don't have fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes can be used as a substitute. Just be sure to drain them before adding to the pasta.
Yes! I often opt for canned chickpeas for convenience, but dry chickpeas will work too. Just soak them until soft before making this recipe (usually overnight is plenty of time to get the chickpeas soft). You’ll then need to cook the chickpeas in a large pot of water for about 1 ½ to 2 hours. If you go this route, you can also reserve the cooking liquid from the chickpeas to use instead of using the veggie stock in this recipe.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat by cooking in the oven in the microwave. You may need to add a little water or veggie broth before reheating if the pasta has absorbed a lot of the cooking liquid.
Absolutely! Chicken broth will also work well in this recipe if you're not following a vegetarian diet.
Yes! To make this Pasta with Chickpea recipe in the Instant Pot, simply follow the instructions above using the saute function up until the point you add the chickpeas and stock. When you add the pasta, cook on high pressure for 0 minutes, then do a natural release for 10 minutes. The pasta will cook in the time it takes the instant pot to come to full pressure.
Be sure to allow the Instant Pot to naturally release right when it comes to pressure, and don't let it sit or the pasta will become mushy. Remove the pasta from the instant pot after the natural release and add in the cheese, roasted tomatoes, and spinach, then serve.
If you try this Creamy Pasta With Chickpeas (Pasta E Ceci), Please let me know what you think in the comments below! And don't forget to tag me with a pic @frontrangefed on Instagram so I can see your masterpiece.
Recipe
Pasta With Chickpeas, Spinach And Tomatoes (Pasta E Ceci)
Ingredients
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt divided (plus more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper divided (plus more to taste)
- 3 garlic cloves diced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 cans chickpeas drained
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 lb small pasta such as rigatoni
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
- 2 large handfuls of spinach (or other green, such as escarole)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Place the cherry tomatoes in a single layer on the sheet pan. Drizzle lightly with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stir to ensure the olive oil coats the tomatoes.
- Roast the tomatoes for 25 minutes in the oven, then remove and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until warmed. Add the diced garlic, rosemary, and salt and cook for 1 minute, until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the red pepper flakes and continue cooking for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook for an additional minute, or until the tomato paste is fragrant.
- Add the wine and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring everything to a simmer and cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add 1 cup of the chickpeas and 1 cup of veggie broth. Mix to combine and transfer everything to a blender. Blend until smooth. Return the mixture to the pot, and add in the remaining chickpeas, stock, and black pepper. (If you have an immersion blender, you can blend everything in the same pot.)
- Bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat and stir in the pasta. Cook the pasta for the time directed on the packaging (or shave off a minute if you’d like to make the pasta al dente.)
- Once the pasta has cooked, adjust the texture of the sauce by adding more water or stock if desired.
- Remove from heat and quickly stir in the shredded cheese, stirring everything quickly to incorporate.
- Add the roasted tomatoes and the chopped greens to the pasta. Stir to combine.
- Divide into individual bowls and serve.
Notes
- If using dried chickpeas, you can use the water that you cooked the chickpeas in instead of the vegetable broth if you prefer.
- To make sure your pasta is al dente, cook it about one minute shy of the package instructions.
- Sub in different types of beans for chickpeas if you prefer, or don't have chickpeas on hand.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- When reheating, you'll likely need to add a bit of veggie broth or water to the dish to add some liquid back to the sauce. (It tends to be absorbed into the pasta noodles when refrigerated).
- This recipe was adapted slightly from Serious Eats.
Mila says
I made it without the cheese. It was so good - we love this for an easy weeknight dinner!
Sarah Jenkins says
Thanks Mila!
Emily says
This was so delicious! I made this last weekend when we had friends over for dinner and everyone loved it. This recipe is going on regular rotation!
Sarah Jenkins says
Thanks Emily!