Creamy Gochujang Pasta e Ceci

This spicy variation on pasta e ceci will be your new go-to stew during the winter! It's so cozy and full of flavor. This is your cue to make this creamy gochujang pasta e ceci asap! On tasting the tested recipe, my friend Jessica texted me, "Ok so seriously that was one of the best dishes I have EVER had in my life. IN MY LIFE."

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Pasta e ceci, or pasta with chickpeas, is a popular peasant dish found in Southern and Central Italy. There are endless variations of the dish, but typically, it features a brothy, stewy mixture of chickpeas, pasta, chickpea broth, and cheese.

Here, I include the addition of gochujang which offers a spicy, umami flavor to contrast the rich, creamy broth. A quick oil with parsley and garlic brightens the whole dish.

Why You Should Make This Creamy Stew

• It's incredibly nourishing, full of chickpeas, pasta, and creamy broth. And blending half of the chickpeas in their liquid yields a velvety broth without the need for added cream.
• A hint of gochujang gives you the creamy spicy vibes of a vodka-style sauce with a bit more funkiness and complex flavor.
• This recipe uses lots of readily available pantry ingredients and aromatics so you can skip a trip to the grocery store.
• It's truly so delicious. This just might be a new go-to in your weeknight dinner rotation.

For more weeknight recipes, try my salmon pasta without cream, copycat Carbone spicy rigatoni, or vegetarian gyros.

What is Gochujang?

Gochujang is a spicy Korean fermented red chili paste made from gochu-garu (Korean chili powder), glutinous rice, fermented soybean powder, and other ingredients. The fermentation process yields a punchy, sweet, and spicy flavor.

When researching this condiment, I learned that it was traditionally made at home in Korean communities. Gochujang was often fermented in urns, sometimes up to a few years! Starting in the 1970s, however, the condiment became more widely accessible in Asian supermarkets and specialty stores, so the homemade practice has become less common.

Over the last several years, it's gained mainstream popularity and is now readily available in most supermarkets. Of course, you can always find it at an Asian supermarket such as Hmart or order online on Amazon.

Key Ingredients

Let's talk ingredients, shall we?

• Chickpeas: Chickpeas are the star ingredient in this recipe, used in two different ways. Half the chickpeas are blended with the chickpea liquid to form a creamy broth. The other half is sauteed with aromatics and simmered in the broth.
• Olive Oil: I'm listing EVOO here because it's really important! I know it seems like a lot of oil (¼ cup), but it's vital to have enough fat in this dish to balance the heat of the chili paste and the earthy, vegetal flavors.
• Aromatics: Garlic, onion, and rosemary are all ingredients commonly found in pasta e ceci. And you know what? They pair shockingly well with gochujang too.
• Rosemary: I like the rustic presentation of adding in a whole rosemary sprig with the garlic; as the broth simmers, the leaves separate from the stem so you can discard the stem before serving. But if you prefer, you can de-stem and finely chop the rosemary instead of throwing in the whole thing.
• Gochujang: I used 2 teaspoons of mild gochujang, and I found this offered plenty of heat without being overly spicy. Feel free to adjust to your own taste! Try using leftover paste in my gochujang pasta!
• Vegetable Stock: As always, I love using Better than Bouillon's Vegetable Base, as it adds a ton of flavor! You'll start with two cups, but depending on the cut of pasta (more on that below), you may need up to 3 cups to yield a stewy consistency that's not too thick.
• Pasta: You can use a few different types of pasta, but your stew will thicken differently depending on the cut used. This is a process where you'll want to use visual cues (and your own preferences) to alter the stew as needed. I recommend starting with 2 cups, as it's easier to add more later than it is to reduce it once you've added the pasta. If it's too thick after cooking the pasta, you can loosen it with some more stock.

What Cut of Pasta Should I Use?

I recommend ditalini (or another small tubular shape), pastina, or maltagliati for this creamy gochujang pasta e ceci.

Ditalini: Ditalini produced the least amount of "starchiness" in this dish. I love using it when I want a slightly looser, more soup-like stew as you can see in the photos here. You'll probably need 2 to 2 ½ cups max.
Pastina: When I tried the recipe with pastina, I found that they absorbed a lot of the liquid and released a good amount of starch. It created more of a thick, porridge-like texture with 2 cups of liquid. I personally loved the texture, but it's definitely not as soupy so you could definitely add more stock to compensate.
Maltagliati: Maltagliati, meaning "badly cut pasta" is a term used to refer to irregularly shaped pieces of pasta. For example, when making fresh pasta, you can save the irregular end pieces for soups and stews like this one.

I tried this with some nests of dried fettucine I had purchased that broke into small pieces during transit. I ended up with 2-inch pieces of pasta that I added to the stew. I loved how creamy the end result was from the starchiness of the pasta!

Bottom line: Ditalini produces a soupier stew, while pastina will give you a thicker stew. But either way, you can easily adjust the broth as you go.

How to Make This Recipe

Step 1 - Make the chickpea broth: Open a can of chickpeas and pour the liquid into a blender cup. Blend the liquid with half of the chickpeas until nice and smooth.

Set the other half of the chickpeas aside.

Step 2 - Saute the aromatics: Get your garlic and rosemary going with some olive oil in the pan. Add the onion and saute until everything is soft and aromatic.

Step 3 - Cook down the pastes: Add the tomato paste and the gochujang and stir everything together. Cook that down for a couple of minutes, until you start to see the color change from a more vibrant, bright red to deep red.

You'll also see some browning on the sides and bottom of the pan -- that is all good stuff, indicating nice caramelization which means more flavor!

Step 4 - Simmer the broth: Add the chickpea broth and the vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, and scrape any brown bits from the bottom or sides of the pan. Simmer the broth for 10 minutes, or until it's thickened slightly.

At this point it should taste nicely seasoned with a bit of heat, but feel free to adjust seasonings if you want things spicier or saltier.

Step 5 - Stir in the pasta and let everything cook on a vigorous simmer until it's al dente. Meanwhile, mix together some garlic and parsley in a bowl. Heat the oil over the stove until shimmering, then pour it over the parsley-garlic mixture.

Step 6 - Finish and serve: Stir in the cheese and half of the parsley-garlic oil. Divide amongst serving bowls, and top with more cheese and parsley-garlic oil. Enjoy!

Storage Instructions

This stew will last 2 - 3 days in the fridge. The flavors will continue to develop and get even more delicious. However, the pasta will continue to absorb more liquid and soften in texture, and the stew will thicken even more. Bottom line: It'll still taste good, but it definitely has a "leftovers" vibe as the texture is much softer. You will definitely want to add more liquid to loosen the stew when reheating.

If you want to make it ahead of time, I recommend cooking the broth (sans pasta) and storing it in the fridge. Just before serving, cook the pasta in the broth and finish the dish.

What to Serve With This Dish

Serve this with my kale caesar salad or a citrus salad. This is a super rustic dish, so I recommend pairing it with something really bright and refreshing.

Or, for a complete and hearty meal, add some kale or spinach after cooking the pasta. Let the greens cook just until they wilt.

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