Quick Italian Pasta e Ceci (Pasta and Chickpeas Soup)

This hearty Pasta and Chickpeas Soup is the perfect last-minute dinner that’s ready in less than 30 minutes.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Knorr®. The opinions, recipe and text are all mine.

Here is one of my favorite, quick and easy, go-to dinner recipes, that’s perfect for these chilly winter nights. It's scrumptious and wholesome. It's creamy and flavorful. It's sure to fill your stomach and warm your soul. 

This recipe has short pasta mingled in a dense and creamy chickpea soup, exploding with bits of sautéed onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. It also has a touch of rosemary and oregano, and a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 

What more could you ask for?!? 

Oh yes! It's a one-pot and a one-dish dinner, ready in less than 30 minutes. Ha! I know this will become one of your favorites now, too.

Everyone loves a quick meal, especially during the holiday season when things in the kitchen can get crazy busy. 

To make things faster in today's recipe, I'm using canned chickpeas (which don't require overnight soaking and a long time on the stove). And I'm using Caldo Knorr® Selects con sabor de Pollo which is a chicken bouillon and is a super easy and oh-so delicious way to enhance the flavor of the soup. 

Knorr Selects Bouillon is fun and versatile, and the perfect addition to any meal. What I love the most is that it's made with natural stock, has no artificial flavors, no artificial colors or preservatives, and contains no added MSG. 

Compared to traditional bouillon, Knorr Selects has less ingredients and a cleaner label, less sodium, and more premium ingredients. 

So, next time you find yourself at your local Superior Grocers store, grab yourself a jar or two.

Click here to find the amazing savings on Knorr Selects Bouillon available at Superior Grocers from 12/5/18 – 12/11/18.

Now, let's talk soup for a minute. 

Pasta e ceci is a classic Italian recipe, but like many Italian dishes, there isn't just one way to make it. There are so many variations that can be made to a chickpea pasta soup that it's impossible to say which is the traditional recipe. 

All of them (or so I think) start with an onion/celery/carrot soffritto (chopped and sautéed in a little olive oil). Add crushed garlic and some herbs. In my recipe, I have fresh rosemary and dried oregano. Both are so flavorful and aromatic. 

Now the tricky part. Some pasta e ceci are very dense (more like pasta with some chickpeas) and some are very brothy (more like a soup with a little pasta). What I like is something right in between... creamy and dense, but not too brothy, and not just pasta. 

So, here is my secret to the recipe: purée half of the chickpeas (which gives a denser soup) and leave the rest of the chickpeas whole. Add the water and bouillon, and then cook the pasta with the rest (make sure to check the recipe for the amount of pasta; it's not too much).

Ready to try this recipe too?!? Make sure to check out Knorr recipe page for more cooking inspiration here.

INGREDIENTS:

YIELD: 4 servings

1. • 1 tablespoon olive oil
   • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
   • 1 carrot, chopped
   • 1 garlic clove, crushed
   • 1 rosemary sprig
   • 1/4 teaspoon oregano
   • 4 cups water
   • 1 tablespoon Knorr Selects con sabor de Pollo (or you can use vegetable)
   •  31 oz (880 gr, 2 cans) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
   • 4 oz (115 gr) pasta (ditalini or linguine cut in pieces)
   • salt and pepper to taste if needed
   • grated Parmesan cheese for serving

PREPARATION:

TIME: 30 minutes

Chop the celery, onion and carrot.

In a pan, sauté the onion, carrot, celery, rosemary sprig and garlic clove with a tablespoon of oil. Cook until tender, for about 5 minutes.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and purée half of them (one can) with a half cup of water.

Add the puréed chickpeas to the pan with the remaining whole chickpeas and 1.5 cups of water.

Add 1 tablespoon of Knorr Selects con sabor de Pollo (this is chicken bouillon, but you can also use vegetable if you prefer).

Stir and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the soup becomes a little denser.

Add the pasta and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally. It should take about 9 minutes, but it depends on the pasta you are using (check the box).

Serve with grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil if you like.

Don’t forget to check out your local Superior Grocers for savings on Knorr Selects Bouillon from 12/5/18 – 12/11/18!