Chop 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Chop 8 fresh sage leaves.

Chop 5 sprigs of fresh thyme.

Mince 3 cloves of garlic.

Chop one yellow onion into a small dice.

$Bring a stock pot to medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Then add the thyme, rosemary, sage, garlic and onions. Saut\u00e9 for a few minutes until transparent and fragrant.$

Bring a stock pot to medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Then add the thyme, rosemary, sage, garlic and onions. Sauté for a few minutes until transparent and fragrant.

In a separate pot bring water to boil and start cooking the elbow pasta. You can use other pasta but this is particularly well suited for this soup.

Add 14 ounces of tomatoes, 3 cups of veg stock and 1/2 of your chickpeas (15 ounces) to your onion, garlic and herb base. Bring to a simmer and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer your tomato, garlic, onion, chickpea, veg stock base to a blender. Blend until smooth. Be careful to ensure that you either do this in batches and/or make sure the top is securely on.

$Transfer the pur\u00e9ed base back to a clean stock pot, bring to a low heat and add the remaining 1/2 of the chickpeas (15 ounces.)$

Transfer the puréed base back to a clean stock pot, bring to a low heat and add the remaining 1/2 of the chickpeas (15 ounces.)

When your elbow pasta is al dente drain it!

We don't want the pasta to be soggy when it's served. When we are ready to serve the soup we will add the pasta to a bowl and then ladle the soup on top.

Carefully ladle the tomato chickpea base on top of the pasta so that there are no splashes on the side of the bowl.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top and serve!

How to make pasta e cecci (aka pasta and chickpea soup)

I've enjoyed this Italian soup in Tuscany and Florence. On a cold day it seemed like the perfect hearty meal for me and my wife. Often served a bit more rustic I've decided to purée it before serving.