Ditalini with chickpeas, tomatoes garlic and rosemary soup is our go to, soul warming choice for easy and a quick weeknight dinner. Many years ago when my oldest was a toddler, and he had two little brothers following him around the house life was simple and crazy. I liked to feed my little band of thieves with as much whole, nutritious food as possible. I still cook that way today. They are all great eaters and it started right from their first food. Don’t be so terribly impressed. My style of cooking came naturally. It was survival. Cooking from scratch was more cost effective AND there were three boys, three hungry boys, three active, rambunctious, loud boys. When we were home all day together we cooked to give us something to do together. It broke the monotony of being out numbered all day by little men and gave them great memories and a adventurous appetite. If I was going to cook for my family I needed to include them in the process to keep them in the same room and know they were safely occupied. Wooden spoons and metal bowls became toys, loud ones. One day my mother in law was visiting and watched as they dragged out every pot, pan and bowl to build towers and start a drum band at my feet while I prepared dinner. At the end of their play time she was horrified to see me simply put everything back in the cupboards with out washing them. If you are thinking the same thing, don’t judge! It was easier to wash a pan before I used it than to wash all of them every time they were dragged out. My kitchen my rules!
One of my dear friends gave me this recipe. Her Mom had made it for her family when they were small and now her own kids loved it. My gang has been enjoying it for 20 year now. I hope it becomes a staple in your recipe line up.
The beauty of this soup is in the simple ingredients and the ease. Most everything in this recipe can usually be found in my pantry so it’s perfect for those days when you haven’t got a clue what to throw together for dinner. If your family is a meat and potato gang and the protein from the chick peas isn’t enough you could serve the soup as a starter course or add shredded rotisserie chicken or grilled shrimp to the soup. You’ll see in the directions that you can mash some of the chick peas or add most of them to a blender to make a creamier soup. My gang likes it creamy but it is equally delicious either way. This is another recipe that you can make your own to please your gang. It would be easy to take it in the direction of a traditional Pasta e Fagioli by adding peppers, carrots and celery when you sautéed your onions then add in a bit of ground sausage. This is what I love about cooking. You can be creative every day.
Ditalini with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, Garlic and Rosemary Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped (11/2 cups)
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
- 1 28 oz can of chopped Roma tomatoes
- 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/2 pound ditalini or tubetti
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 6 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
METHOD
- Heat oil in large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and rosemary sprigs, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until onion has softened.
- Add garlic, and sauté 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, and season with salt, if desired. Sauté 3 to 5 minutes. Remove rosemary sprigs.
- Add chickpeas, and slightly mash with fork or potato masher to thicken soup.
- Add broth, and bring to a boil.
- If desired, remove 1/2 -2/3 of the solids in the soup and place in a blender. Blend until smooth then return to soup pot and stir in with remaining soup.
- Cook pasta according to directions but cook 1 minute less than package directions suggest. Add pasta when serving. This way the pasta doesn’t get soft sitting in the soup.
- Season soup with salt, if desired, and pepper. Garnish each serving with 1 Tbs. Parmesan and 1 tsp. basil.
Note, it tastes good with a dollop of sour cream or Crème fraîche.
