The original request for this one-pot recipe came from my lovely editor Margaux at the New York Times. I’ve oddly never made pasta e ceci this way before, even though I wrote a whole book on pasta! And, although I’m generally against cooking pasta in the sauce it’s served in, I make an exception here. It really works. A lot of readers thought so, too, as it became one of my most popular dishes in record time! I started affectionately referring to her as “My Cec.” I’ve changed a few ingredients in this version to make it how I would serve it at home, but the best part about this recipe is it relies on pantry ingredients and is incredibly forgiving. Use water in place of stock, use uncased sausage instead of pancetta (or leave the meat out entirely and keep it vegetarian). It’s truly a crowd-pleaser of a dish, and on a cold and blustery night, it’s easy to double, so having friends over and opening a lot of red wine are actually the only two ingredients that aren’t optional.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling (optional)
- 4 ounces (115 g) pancetta, finely diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup (165 g) diced canned tomatoes with their juices
- 1 can (15 ounces/430 g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 to 4 cups (720 to 960 ml) chicken stock
- 1 cup (120 g) ditalini
- 5 cups (210 g) roughly chopped escarole, dandelion greens, kale or something else green and
- Freshly grated pecorino cheese, for serving
Preparation
Heat the oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crispy and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel–lined plate. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not taking on any color, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute more. Season well with salt and pepper.
Add the tomatoes and the chickpeas and stir to combine. With a spatula or the back of a spoon, crush about ½ cup of the chickpeas so they release some of their creamy texture into the sauce.
Pour in 3 cups of the stock and turn the heat to medium-high; when it comes to a boil, add the ditalini. Cook, stirring frequently to make sure the pasta is not sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the pasta is just short of al dente, about 8 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium. Add the escarole and the reserved pancetta to the pot and cook until the greens are wilted, 1 to 2 minutes more. The pasta will absorb most of the stock, so feel free to add in ½ to 1 cup of the remaining chicken stock if you prefer a brothier stew—it’s up to you. Ladle into bowls and top with grated cheese and a drizzle of more olive oil, if you please.
