The preparation of pasta and chickpeas in Rome is linked to the restrictions sanctioned by the Church during the Lent period.
The tradition of eating pasta and chickpeas on Fridays still remains today, even if the original spirit of this custom has been lost.
Roman pasta and chickpeas have also been mentioned in the cinema. In the final scene of the film “I soliti Ignoti”, the protagonists – having entered a house by mistake instead of a bank – find a nice pot of pasta and chickpeas in the refrigerator. They do the honors, thus consoling themselves for the failure of the robbery.
I really like soups, but the one thing I’ve always hated about pasta and chickpeas is the bulky presence of rosemary needles. I find it’s better to tie the sprig and remove it once the oil has flavored.

Pasta with chickpeas

  • Preparation time: 60 minutes
  • Ingredients for 4 servings
  • Difficulty: Easy recipe

  • Ingredients
  • 250 g or 9 oz of short pasta (like maltagliati or ditalini)
  • 250 g or 9 oz of dried chickpeas
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 piece of fresh chili
  • 2 anchovies in oil
  • 100 g or 4 oz of tomato puree
  • Extra virgin olive oil to taste
  • Rosemary tied with string to taste
  • Salt to taste
  1. Instructions
  2. Rinse the chickpeas well and soak them in plenty of fresh, cold water for at least twelve hours (overnight).
  3. Drain the soaked chickpeas and place them in a saucepan. Ensure they are covered with water and leave them to simmer for about three hours, without salt and over a low heat until soft.
  4. Don’t throw away the cooking water.
  5. Puree half of the chickpeas with a mixer.
  6. In a pan with oil, cook the garlic and chili until the garlic begins to get fragrant and color slightly. Add the chopped anchovies, the tomato puree, and the bunch of rosemary; cook for ten minutes.
  7. After this time, add half of the pureed chickpeas as well as all of the whole chickpeas. Add a little of the cooking water from the chickpeas and half-fill with tap water.
  8. Cook over a low heat for twenty minutes and then add the pasta.
  9. Leave on the stove until the pasta is cooked. By the time the pasta is cooked, the sauce should be creamy, not watery. Season with salt.
  10. Pour over some extra virgin olive oil.

Tips to ensure the success of the dish:

  • The chickpeas must be dry, but not old. Check the package label to make sure that they haven’t been dried for over six months. The older they are, the harder they are and thus the longer they need to rest in water – up to twenty-four hours, plus a long cooking period. In addition, dried chickpeas, if too old, have lost many of their nutrients.
  • Tying a sprig of rosemary with a string so that it doesn’t lose the needles is one of the tricks that my mother taught me.