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This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

Chickpeas and Pasta with Herbs and Anchovies (Ceci e Acciughe con Pasta)

6-8 Servings

35 minutes

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In Tuscany, at Osteria Su Santa Trinita, chef and owner Vladimiro Gori taught us to make ceci e acciugati, or chickpeas with anchovies. Traditionally, it is a side dish of chickpeas cooked in olive oil infused with sage, rosemary and anchovies, with a bit of the bean cooking liquid creating a delicious sauce. But Gori sometimes tosses the mixture with short pasta, which we liked. We love curly or hollow pasta shapes that are close in size to the chickpeas and that have grooves and nooks to collect the silky sauce. If you’d prefer to use dried chickpeas, see p. xxx for cooking instructions. You will need 3 cups cooked and drained chickpeas, plus ½ cup cooking liquid.

6-8

Servings

Tip

Don’t throw out the liquid left behind after draining the chickpeas. Called aquafaba, it has a silky texture and subtly sweet, nutty flavor. We use ½ cup of the liquid as part of the sauce and to add complexity to the dish.

35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1

    pound cavatelli, orecchiette or ditalini

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Directions

Reviews
STEVE B.
January 14, 2026
A comfortable dinner
Was improved by a sprinkling of parm, and in the second round, we added some chopped kale which gave it some color and veggies. Nice, that is all ingredients that we often have on hand.
WILLIAM W.
December 31, 2025
Easy and tasty
We enjoyed it! It tasted lemony and herbaceous. I’ll experiment and add more anchovies next time, just because I like their flavor.
Nick G.
September 14, 2025
Really delicious
This may become my go to comfort food from now on.
LINDA R.
December 31, 2025
Light sauce, flavorful
This turned out really well. Since we’re vegetarian, I omitted the anchovies and added halved Kalamata olives with the chickpeas in Step 2. The sauce is light and flavorful with the red pepper flakes, lemon zest and juice, and herbs. This will definitely be in our dinner rotation.
Mary W.
May 8, 2026
Great
Great, fast pasta dish. The lemon juice adds a lovely tang, and the chickpeas generated a nice creaminess. We added some finely shredded parmesan as a garnish. Also, I cooked dried chickpeas rather than use canned. I accidentally bought sardines rather than anchovies--so next time, when I make it with anchovies, it'll be even better.

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