Pasta e ceci
Pasta e ceci, or pasta with chickpeas, sits on the fence between being a pasta dish, soup or stew. Using the liquid from a tin of chickpeas helps to make the pasta sauce creamy and thick. If you forget and accidently chuck it away, just use a bit more pasta water to help bind it all together.
This recipe is part of a Budget vegetarian meal plan for one. In September 2023 this recipe was costed at an average of 92p when checking prices at four UK supermarkets. This recipe is designed to be made in conjunction with a low-cost store-cupboard.
Ingredients
- green outer leaves from a cauliflower (see recipe tip for alternatives)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 200g/7oz tinned chickpeas, liquid reserved (half a standard 400g tin)
- 100g/3½oz penne, or other pasta shapes
- small handful fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
- small handful fresh basil leaves
- salt and ground black pepper
Method
Remove the tough stems from the cauliflower leaves and shred into 5mm/¼in thick slices. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the garlic and chilli flakes. Cook over a medium heat and once the garlic smells fragrant, add the chickpeas and its liquid. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for around 5 minutes to soften the chickpeas. Add the cauliflower leaves and continue to simmer.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and season with salt. Cook the pasta for 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the penne straight from the boiling water to the chickpea mixture and add half a mugful of pasta water. Toss vigorously to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir through the parsley, garnish with the basil leaves and serve.
Recipe Tips
The outer leaves from the cauliflower are reserved from the Cauliflower and broccoli cheese recipe, which also appears in the Budget vegetarian meal plan for one. If cooking separately, feel free to swap in any green leaves you have available (such as cabbage or spinach) or leave them out.
It's much cheaper to buy chopped tomatoes and chickpeas in 400g tins than the smaller tins. Use half in this recipe and transfer the rest to a container or covered dish, refrigerate and eat within 5 days (do not store in the tin). The rest can be used in the Cauliflower and chickpea stew recipe.
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