this soup. this chick pea, tomato, and pasta soup is one of my all-time favorite soups. one of the soups that gets made several times every fall/winter. the soup that, when one friend came over for dinner, i stated that the recipe says it serves four but it’s really more like three so we should triple it (because i wanted lots of leftovers, as i quickly explained upon seeing the confused look on her face). this soup.
i suppose it doesn’t hurt that i was first introduced to this soup in italy. years ago i was in rome with my family and my sister, who has a knack for ordering the best dish on the menu, ordered this soup at a little trattoria on a tiny back street where a smart car was definitely the widest vehicle that could squeeze through between the ancient buildings. after trying a bite of her soup, i knew that i needed to have more of this soup in my life, more often (preferably without the need to purchase international airfare).
upon returning home, i jumped on epicurious and searched based on the main ingredients (chick peas, tomato, and a little bit of tiny pasta). i lucked out and immediately found a recipe that seemed right, based on what i remembered. i threw the recipe together and was delighted to discover that it was exactly like the delicious soup of my memory. you know how sometimes you remember loving something and then you come back to it later and it’s ok but not as good as you remember? totally did NOT happen in this case. i actually liked my version better because a) i got to customize it exactly the way i like (read: more garlic! less salt!) and b) i didn’t have to cram all of my toiletries into tiny little bottles.
in fact, i liked it so much that i emailed several friends (subject line: unbelievably good soup recipe) and basically pleaded with them to make the soup, advising that, “it is so delicious. really, i highly recommend that you try making it if, upon reading my modified recipe below, it sounds even remotely appealing. did i mention that it’s sooooo good?!? it’s going to be a struggle to not eat the entire batch of it at once. it’s amazing. i l.o.v.e. it. so good.” 5 years after i sent the original email one of the friends emailed back to say, “i just made this, again, and yes it is so delicious. thanks for the recipe, back in the day :)”.
so there you have it: time-tested and at least two people ever (one of whom is not me) made and enjoyed this soup. if that doesn’t get you to try it, i don’t know what will.
chick pea, tomato, and pasta soup
Save to BigOven Ingredients
- 2 oz. (59 ml / 1/4 cup) olive oil (see notes: i use extra virgin when i’m feeling fancy)
- 1 small/medium or 1/2 of a large onion, chopped
- 3 – 4 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
- heaping 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, chopped/crumbled a little bit
- heaping 1/2 teaspoon dried crumbled sage
- 16 oz. (454 g. / 2 cups) canned low sodium plum tomatoes, drained and chopped (see notes: low sodium diced tomatoes, undrained, also work)
- 24 oz. (710 ml / 3 cups) low sodium broth (i like chicken best but veggie works too, of course)
- 15.5 oz. (438 g. / 2 cups) canned low sodium chick peas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained, divided
- 1/2 cup small pasta, such as ditalini, elbows, or orzo
- shredded hard italian cheese such as pecorino romano (my favorite), romano, or parmesan, for serving
Instructions
- in a large, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. when hot, add the onion and sauté for approximately 4 minutes, until the onion turns translucent (but don’t let it brown).
- add the garlic, rosemary, and sage. stirring constantly so the garlic doesn’t burn, cook for 1 minute.
- add the tomatoes, stir to combine, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have thickened slightly.
- pour in the broth and all but about half a cup of the chick peas. set the remaining ½ cup chick peas aside. simmer the soup for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. remove from heat.
- using your blender/processor of choice (i like to use an immersion blender to skip the step where i pour molten lava temperature soup all over the counter and floor when transferring from from a very wide pot into a much narrower blender), puree the soup until smooth.
- if you transferred it to blend, pour the soup back into your pot, otherwise, just turn the burner back on at high heat.
- bring the soup to a boil then add the pasta and remaining chick peas. stir occasionally and cook until pasta is juuuust past al dente (see pasta package for time, as it depends on size/shape pasta you chose). the pasta will continue to soften as it sits in the soup so, especially if you are planning for leftovers, don’t overcook the pasta up front.
- divide soup among bowls and shred cheese over the top of the soup, as desired.
Notes
the original recipe calls for regular olive oil but when i’m feeling indulgent and want the soup to be extra delicious, i’ll use extra virgin. it’s possible this is a placebo effect since heat can destroy the compounds that make extra virgin olive oil so much yummier than regular olive oil but, i swear it tastes more full and has more depth when i use extra virgin.
i play it pretty fast and loose with the tomatoes i put in: the first time i made the soup, i only had diced tomatoes and was impatient to try the recipe so used those, undrained, with great results. i’ve also done as instructed and used plum tomatoes that i drained and chopped. i’ve even stretched it as far as using crushed tomatoes. once you’ve made the soup once or twice (you will make it more than once), you’ll know how thick you like it and how much liquid to use; you can always cut back the broth if the tomatoes are juicy.
same goes with the pasta: as long as it’s little, i’m not picky. the trattoria in italy used ditalini, the recipe i found called for orzo, i had little elbows around the first time i made the soup and like those best so default to that. if anyone tries it with another grain like farro, leave a comment and let us know how it goes!
finally, salt: i don’t like it. i use low sodium broth, low sodium chick peas, and no salt added tomatoes. you may find this a bit aggressive and wish to swap in a more conventionally salted canned good for one of the low/no salt ingredients listed.
adapted from bon appetit’s 1992 recipe for pasta and garbanzo bean soup
I remember getting that email and you were not lying. This soup! Now that you have reminded me of it, I’m going to make it next weekend! (I would make it today but alas, I read this just *after* grocery shopping instead of just *before*.)
excellent, i hope you enjoy it!
The cheese has enough salt to go around but you might want to toss in a chunk of Parma rind — these are standard fare in “pasta fazool” types of soups and are often available free at a good cheese shop that grinds their own Parmesan. Sadly for us, our local favorite Italian market got wise and sells them in small pkg now though sometimes they still hand them out gratis.
Hi kiddo,
Another usual addition are basil leaves added right at the end either whole if you’re lazy or stacked, rolled, and chiffonaded. This adds brightness but should be done right before serving and are better if not put in the whole pot (we do anyway) as they lose what they bring as leftovers.
Finally regarding the oil. It is easy to get back my lost benefit and add a bitmoreflavor by drizzling the Evoo on top of the dish right before serving. It could be on the table along with the tasty Tuscan bread that must go along with this soup. Cracked pepper, or freshly ground is a welcome addition on the table too.
This soup is your aunt’s favorite. We make it with Cannelloni beans usually but the Garbanzoes are a meatier choice.
I watched the Chech/Italian mother of my then GF make this and one thing she always did with the whole plum tomatoes was crush them over the pot in her hand. It added a rustic edge. When I do the same thing, I cross score the stem end to make sure there are no remnants of that floating around. Also, when dealing with the garlic cloves, instead of wasting time peeling each clove, if you crush them under the flat of your knife, the skins can be easily removed. Did you know that the skins on all those peeled cloves you can buy in oriental stores or your local supermarket are peeled by using compressed air? An oddball food fact!
wow, thank you for all of these tips and ideas for variations! this is great! and no, i had no idea how all of those garlic cloves at the store got peeled.
I feel so honored to have that designation within the family!!
well, it’s true, especially in italy!
So I was all crouched against the starting blocks for the pan-baked salmon and vegetables that showed up today and then I clicked the life-changing soup link. My mission became clear: grocery store. Home. Soup. Can I just say holy YUM? The rosemary and sage make this a sneakily sophisticated answer to a cold, rainy night in Boston. Thank you!
yeeessssss! i’m glad you loved the soup! i mean, the salmon is good too but, this. soup. is. everything. especially on a cold, wet january night. it’s one of those “how are you so simple and so delicious?!” recipes that make you look a bit askance at all of those other recipes that are more complicated but not more delicious.