Lemony Pasta With Chickpeas and Parsley

Updated August 17, 2025

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Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(5,556)
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You can used either canned or home-cooked chickpeas in this take on the classic Italian dish pasta con ceci, which is an excellent, nutritious, quick-cooking dinner. But even more appealing is the way the soft earthiness of the chickpeas plays off the al dente pasta, coating it like a rich sauce but without a lot of fat. The whole dish is zipped up with some lemon, garlic and red pepper flakes.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings
  • Kosher salt, as needed

  • 8 ounces regular or whole-wheat fusilli or other short, sturdy pasta

  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas, home-cooked or canned

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

  • ½ onion, diced

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

  • Pinch of red pepper flakes, plus more as needed

  • 1 ½ cups chickpea cooking liquid (from a homemade pot; do not use the liquid from the can), vegetable stock or water

  • 3 cups fresh parsley leaves (from 1 large bunch)

  • ⅔ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

  • Finely grated zest of ½ lemon

  • Ground black pepper to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

153 grams carbs; 49 milligrams cholesterol; 1284 calories; 27 grams monosaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 52 grams fat; 24 grams fiber; 1342 milligrams sodium; 53 grams protein; 14 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add fusilli and cook until it is just shy of al dente. (It should be slightly underdone to your taste because you’ll finish cooking it in the sauce.) Drain well.

  2. Step 2

    While the pasta is cooking, prepare the chickpea sauce: Place chickpeas in a large bowl and use a potato masher or a fork to lightly mash them; they should be about half-crushed.

  3. Step 3

    Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add garlic cloves and fry until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in onions, rosemary, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Then stir in chickpeas and the cooking liquid, stock or water. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Stir in pasta and parsley, and cook until the pasta has finished cooking and is coated in the sauce, 1 to 2 minutes. Quickly toss in cheese, butter, lemon zest, black pepper to taste and salt if needed. Drizzle with olive oil and shower with additional cheese before serving.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
5,556 user ratings
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Comments

I found this a bit bland until I doubled the amount of lemon zest and then added the juice of the entire lemon and a bit of freshly ground salt. That brightened it up considerably. Get your prep done before you cook the pasta, and it all comes together very nicely.

Melissa, don't throw out the pasta water!!! That should be the liquid that thins out the chickpea mash if you are using canned chickpeas, which is what most people who want a "quick cooking dinner" will use.

I make this recipe all the time, with the added difference of adding an anchovy when sautéing the onions. It is delicious, wonderful and one of my favourite "comfort foods".

So good! I used canned chickpeas, more onion and garlic than called for, vegetable broth, and orecchiette. Also, I followed the recipe and then let the chickpeas sit for a few hours to develop flavor. Then, I added more vegetable broth and reduced it again. I doubled amount of lemon zest. Texture was amazing; flavor great.

Great recipe. I browned the garlic and then removed from pan. Added them back in with the parsley at the end. Into the garlic oil, I added a cubed zucchini and sliced mushrooms with the onions. Did not add cheese, but served with grated parm at the table. Added a tablespoon of capers and juice from the zested whole lemon. Flavors melded well and this was a very satisfying vegetarian dinner.

We found this to be really savory and mouth-filling. I followed the recipe, but used the zest of a whole lemon, one anchovy mashed in, and three large garlic cloves. Super delish! I cooked some dried Umbrian chickpeas, which are small and flavorful. Lots of umami for a vegetarian meal.

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Credits

Adapted from "Dinner: Changing the Game" by Melissa Clark (Clarkson Potter, 2017)

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