Pasta and chickpeas is one of those dishes that can be incredibly satisfying with very little. I especially like it when it’s nice and creamy, with that thick sauce that sticks to the pasta and a few whole chickpeas.
To make it like this, you don’t need to add cream or anything else. The trick is very simple: blend some of the chickpeas and cook the pasta directly in the same pot. This way, it releases its starch during cooking, resulting in a delicious creamy sauce.
Ingredients for 4 people
- 320 g of short pasta
- 500 g of already cooked chickpeas
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 tablespoons of tomato puree
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- extra virgin olive oil
- about 700 ml of vegetable broth or hot water
- salt
- pepper
Preparation
First, add a little oil to a large pot along with the garlic and rosemary. Cook for a couple of minutes over low heat, being careful not to burn the garlic.
Add the chickpeas, reserving about a third. Add the tomato puree, stir, and cook for a few minutes to combine.
At this point, add a couple of ladles of hot broth and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the garlic and rosemary and blend some of the chickpeas directly in the pot. You don’t have to puree everything; a few whole chickpeas make the dish even better.
Return the chickpeas you had set aside to the pan and add the pasta.
From here on, the process is a bit like risotto. Add the hot broth a little at a time and continue stirring. As the pasta cooks, it will release its starch, and you’ll notice the base gradually becoming creamier.
Toward the end of cooking, add broth a little at a time. It’s better to add a little more than to end up with pasta and chickpeas that’s too runny.
When the pasta is still slightly al dente, turn off the heat. Add a drizzle of oil and stir well, then let it rest for 2 minutes.
And it’s precisely during these last minutes that the consistency changes: the cream thickens, completely enveloping the pasta and the result becomes truly creamy.
Serve immediately with a little black pepper and a drizzle of raw olive oil. If it thickens too much after resting, simply add a splash of hot broth and stir.
