Pasta Con Ceci
Tags: Dinner Instant Pot Italian Pasta
Yield: 4
- 1/2 pound dried chickpeas, sorted and rinsed (about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thin
- 3 ounces tomato paste (half of a 6-ounce can, about 4 tablespoons)
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 batch of Chickpeas and Broth
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup ditalini pasta (or other small pasta shape)
- More red pepper flakes for sprinkling
- Sort, rinse and pressure cook the chickpeas for 40 minutes with a quick pressure release: Sort the chickpeas, removing broken beans, stones, and any other non-bean material. Rinse the beans and add to the Instant Pot (or another pressure cooker). Add the garlic and rosemary, then pour in the 4 cups of water, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt. Lock the lid on the pot and Pressure cook on high pressure for 40 minutes in an electric pressure cooker (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot), or 35 minutes in a stovetop PC. Quick release the pressure in the pot. Discard the rosemary and garlic cloves, and then pour the beans and their cooking liquid into a bowl, and wipe out the inner pot. (Or, if you have a spare Instant Pot inner pot, lift the inner pot full of beans out, set it aside, and replace it with the clean one.)
- Saute the garlic and tomato paste: Put the 4 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic cloves, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes in the Instant Pot, then turn on sauté mode adjusted to high. Sauté, stirring often and breaking up the tomato paste, until the garlic is sizzling and just starting to brown, about 3 minutes.
- Cook the pasta with the beans: Stir the beans and their cooking liquid from step 1 into the pot, and add 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt. Cover the Instant Pot (but don’t lock the lid – use the non-pressure lid if you have it.) Bring the pot to a boil, stir in the pasta, replace the lid, and adjust the heat to sauté mode set to low (medium-low heat). Cover again, and simmer the pasta for 8 minutes, or for the time listed on the pasta package. Serve, sprinkling with more red pepper flakes if you want to kick up the heat.
- Yes, you need all that olive oil – it adds flavor to the dish
- You can make the chickpeas and broth ahead of time; refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 6 months, and thaw before using. (I thaw the beans in the microwave).
- The recipe can be halved or doubled – increase or decrease the ingredients, but use the same cooking time.
- Saute some chicken or shrimp while beans are cooking and add to pot at the end.
