Chickpea and Quadrucci Soup

Here is the recipe for chickpea and quadrucci soup, a simple and nutritious dish from Italian cuisine. You can think of quadrucci as a sort of small lasagne cut into squares; they are a type of fresh pasta that pairs very well with legumes.

Ingredients

• 200 g of fresh quadrucci pasta (or egg pasta cut into squares)
• 200 g of dried chickpeas (to be soaked the night before) or 400 g of precooked chickpeas
• 1 medium onion
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 carrot
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Vegetable stock or water as needed
• Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation

1. If you’re using dried chickpeas, start by soaking them the night before for at least 12 hours. After that, drain and rinse them.
2. Prepare a soffritto by finely chopping the onion, celery, and carrot. In a large pot, brown the vegetable mixture with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and whole garlic cloves.
3. Add the drained chickpeas and let them flavor for a few minutes.
4. Add the rosemary sprig and bay leaf, then cover with vegetable stock or hot water. Bring to a boil and let cook for about 1 hour and 30 minutes (or until the chickpeas are tender), adding more stock or hot water as necessary. If you’re using precooked chickpeas, this step will be much quicker.
5. Remove the garlic, rosemary, and bay leaf, and then, if you wish for a creamier soup, you can take some of the cooked chickpeas and blend them with an immersion blender before putting them back into the pot.
6. Bring to a boil again and add the quadrucci pasta. Cook following the pasta’s cooking time instructions, until al dente.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Before serving, you can drizzle with raw extra virgin olive oil and, if you like, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Did you know?

The chickpea and quadrucci soup can also be enriched by adding tomato for a touch of acidity, or with fried or toasted bread croutons to add crunchiness. In some regional variants, you might also add pancetta for a smoky flavor.