Kitchen Wisdom Gluten Free Ceci with Tomatoes and Pasta is something my mom used to make this often when I was growing up, a warm and hearty addition to a cold winter’s night.  Ceci with Tomatoes & Pasta is so fast and simple to make, it is wonderful on work nights.  Uncomplicated simplicity at its best, I use canned tomatoes and ceci (chickpeas/garbanzo beans).  Although I grew up with semolina pasta, I have learned to enjoy non-wheat pasta as well.  This dish is pictured with rice pasta, the secret to cooking it is to ignore the cook time on the package and cook for about a minute to a minute and a half past the rice pasta’s major starch release during boiling.  My grandmother used to say pasta cooking water should be as salty as the Mediterranean.  Adding salt to cold water only causes pitting to one’s cooking pot and, contrary to myth, does not quicken cooking time. Be sure to add salt once water begins to bubble. Salt is added for flavor and to keep the pasta from sticking to one another.  

Yields 4 servings

15 ounce can Ceci (chickpeas/garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed

28 ounce can Tomatoes (whole or crushed)

3 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

¼ cup finely chopped Onion

2 cloves Garlic

¾ teaspoon dried Oregano (or 1 fresh sprig)

12-16 ounces Gluten Free Pasta

Crushed Red Pepper (to taste)

Salt & Pepper (pinch)

Grated Parmesan (to taste for serving)

 

Drain and rinse ceci and open can of tomatoes, place each aside.  Chop the onion and garlic, set aside.  Warm olive oil in a cooking pot; raise heat a bit and add garlic and onion and sauté until they are sweating and just bubbling, add oregano and crushed red pepper and allow to the essential oils from the spices to release into the oil for a few moments.  Then add ceci to sauté and thoroughly combine.

I use crushed or whole tomatoes, whichever I have on hand. In this recipe I crushed whole tomatoes by hand, directly adding each of them to the cooking pot – one at a time.  Then add the tomato juice from the can.  Add the pinch of salt and pepper and stir.   Bring to a high simmer; reduce heat and place lid on cooking pot slightly ajar.

Allow to slowly simmer for about 35 minutes.  During this time, bring water to boil and cook pasta.  Serve ceci with tomatoes over pasta with plenty of fresh milled black pepper and grated cheese.

“Ceci with Tomatoes & Pasta” by Liz Conforti, Forget What You Know About Wheat(c) 2014

Serve with Kitchen Wisdom Gluten Free Spinach & Garlic

Serve with Kitchen Wisdom Gluten Free Escarole with Onions & Olives

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