Italian · dinner, lunch

Pasta e Ceci: One-Pot Pasta with Chickpeas

Pasta e Ceci: One-Pot Pasta with Chickpeas — from Vincenzo's Plate's cooking video Watch how it’s made · 15:01

Video by Vincenzo's Plate on YouTube · Open on YouTube

40 minServes 4835 kcal a serve
  • Vegan if you leave out the pecorino
  • Vegetarian with a vegetarian hard cheese instead of the pecorino (traditionally made with animal rennet)
  • Dairy-free if you leave out the pecorino
  • Nut-free

Contains: Gluten, Milk. Check labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

Chickpeas blended into a cream make the sauce rich without cream, and pasta with a legume gives each bowl about 16 g of fibre and nearly 30 g of protein in one pot.

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Ingredients 13

Method

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

  1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, keeping the two cans separate. Blend one can with 2–4 tbsp olive oil and 2–3 tbsp water into a smooth cream. Crush the tomatoes. 1:01
  2. Warm 4–5 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over low heat; add the finely chopped carrot and onion with the bay leaves and rosemary sprig. Cover and cook 5 minutes. 2:29
  3. Add the crushed garlic and 2 tbsp water, cover and cook 5 more minutes. Strip the rosemary leaves into the pot and discard the stem. 3:47
  4. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and the whole chickpeas and season lightly with salt and pepper. Fish out the bay leaves. 5:05
  5. Add the dry pasta and stir to coat, then add a mug of water and cook over higher heat like a risotto, stirring and adding a second mug as needed, for about 10 minutes. 6:37
  6. When the pasta is nearly al dente stir in the chickpea cream (plus a splash of water) and cook 2–3 minutes until creamy, not runny. Off the heat, stir in pecorino if using and top with chopped rosemary. 9:37

Tip. Use wholewheat ditalini for extra fibre and skip the pecorino to keep it vegan. Keep stirring so the pasta does not stick, and add water a little at a time.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.

One serve gives you 1 of 4

Energy835 kcal3,490 kJ
Protein29 g58% of a day
Fibre16 g59% of a day
Carbohydrate107 g91 g net · 13 g sugars39% of a day
Fat34 g6 g saturated43% of a day
Sodium700 mg30% of a day

Where the energy comes from one serve

  • Net carbs 46%
  • Protein 15%
  • Fat 39%

For comparison, low-carb eating usually gets under 26% of its energy from carbs, and ketogenic eating under 10%. Why this is here

Lower-carb idea. About 62% of the 91 g of net carbs come from the ditalini rigati. To cut carbs, try half the pasta and more vegetables, or zucchini noodles.

Vitamins & minerals % of a day, one serve · tap for more

Selenium High106%

58 µg a serve, mostly from ditalini rigati (86%). Part of the body's antioxidant enzymes and needed for thyroid hormones. Seafood, eggs, meat and Brazil nuts are rich sources.

Folate High65%

262 µg a serve, mostly from chickpeas (87%). Needed to make DNA and new cells — especially important before and in early pregnancy. Legumes and leafy greens are rich sources.

Iron High37%

6.7 mg a serve, mostly from chickpeas (58%). Carries oxygen in your blood. Iron from plants absorbs better with vitamin C in the same meal — lemon, tomato or capsicum.

Vitamin E High37%

5.6 mg a serve, mostly from virgin olive oil (65%). An antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive oil are the main sources.

Zinc High33%

3.7 mg a serve, mostly from chickpeas (54%). Needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and growth. Meat, seafood, legumes, seeds and whole grains supply it.

Magnesium High29%

124 mg a serve, mostly from chickpeas (51%). Takes part in hundreds of reactions — energy, muscles, nerves, blood sugar and bones. Nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are good sources.

Vitamin B6 High26%

0.4 mg a serve, mostly from chickpeas (42%). Helps turn food into energy and make brain messengers. Chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes and bananas are good sources.

Vitamin K High25%

29 µg a serve, mostly from virgin olive oil (52%). Needed for blood clotting and bones. Leafy greens and herbs are very rich in it. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady and talk to your doctor.

Vitamin A High21%

189 µg a serve, mostly from carrot (77%). Keeps eyes, skin and the immune system healthy. Orange vegetables and dark greens give beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.

Calcium Source19%

242 mg a serve, mostly from pecorino (46%). Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work. Dairy, calcium-set tofu, sardines with their bones and some greens supply it.

Omega-3 Source19%

0.3 g a serve, mostly from virgin olive oil (64%). Omega-3 fats support the heart and brain. Oily fish give EPA and DHA; walnuts, flax, chia and canola give ALA, which the body converts only a little.

Potassium Source18%

860 mg a serve, mostly from chickpeas (45%). Balances sodium to help control blood pressure and keeps muscles and nerves working. Beans, potatoes, leafy greens and fruit are rich sources.

Vitamin C Source15%

13 mg a serve, mostly from tomatoes (72%). An antioxidant needed for collagen, immunity and iron absorption. Long cooking destroys some, so raw herbs, citrus and capsicum help.

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Vitamin B126%

0.1 µg a serve, mostly from pecorino (100%). Keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Found almost only in animal foods and fortified foods (some plant milks, nutritional yeast), so vegans need a reliable source.

Vitamin D0%

0.1 µg a serve, mostly from pecorino (100%). Helps you absorb calcium for bones and supports muscles. Few foods have much — oily fish, eggs, UV-exposed mushrooms, fortified milks. Sunlight is the main source.

Estimated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central values; % of a day uses the food-label daily values. How this works

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Recipe and video by Vincenzo's Plate; the method summary, nutrition estimate and diet notes are Notbroken’s. General information about food, not dietary advice.