Vegan Pasta e Ceci

Total time50 min

Prep time15 min

Cook time35 min

4.6

(10)

This is Italian peasant cooking at its most satisfying — a thick, hearty stew of chickpeas and tiny ditalini pasta simmered together in a deeply savory broth built from onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and tomato paste. The trick that makes it so rich and creamy without any dairy is mashing roughly a third of the chickpeas right in the pot, which thickens the broth into something almost silky while leaving plenty of whole chickpeas for texture. Fresh rosemary steeps into the base as it simmers, adding an earthy, aromatic depth that makes the whole kitchen smell incredible. Everything here is straightforwardly plant-based — vegetable broth, olive oil, canned chickpeas, and dry pasta — so there's no need to swap or substitute a single thing. A generous drizzle of finishing olive oil over each bowl pulls it all together and gives every spoonful a glossy, restaurant-worthy richness. It makes four servings and reheats beautifully, though the pasta will continue to absorb liquid as it sits, so add a splash of water or broth when warming leftovers.

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Ingredients

4 servings

3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 medium carrot, finely diced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
½ tsp black pepper
6 oz dry ditalini pasta (or other small pasta shape)

For serving

2 tbsp olive oil, for finishing
fresh rosemary or flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)

Instructions

1
Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.
2
Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and rosemary sprigs and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Watch the garlic closely so it does not brown.

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