This is a hearty and filling meal for two that is very tasty! There are two ways to make it - a quick easy way and a slightly longer easy way!
You might guess that the longer way is to do with using dried versus canned chickpeas, and you would be right! However, it is worth noting that for most of the prep and cooking time of the longer method you will be doing something else!
Quick way
400g vegan veg soup
(e.g. Happy Pear Country Veg)
500ml vegetable stock
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
140g dried pasta
Drain the chickpeas. Put the soup, about 1/3 of the chickpeas and 100ml of the stock in a blender and blend until smooth.
Add some oil to a large pan on a medium-hot burner. Add the chopped onion to the oil and stir-fry until translucent. Stir in the 2/3 portion of the chickpeas.
Make a well in the onion and chickpeas and add the tomato puree to the bottom of the pan.Let it sizzle there for a few seconds to caramelise then stir it in to the rest. Add a dash of the stock to deglaze the pan.
Pour in the blended soup mix and enough stock, maybe half, to leave a thinish looking broth, then add the pasta.
Keep a close eye on it and stir regularly to make sure nothing sticks. The pasta will absorb a lot of the fluid so that the stew will dry out. Add more stock to keep it as loose as you like it. Cook until the pasta is al dente and serve on warmed bowls with freshly cracked black pepper.
Longer way
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
1 shallot or small onion, cut in half
2 cloves garlic, mildly smashed
1 bay leaf
Some fresh or dried herbs
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
140g dried pasta
Cover the chickpeas in plenty of water. Leave for 8 hours or overnight. Change the water every so often.
Put the chickpeas in a large pan and cover in about 750ml cold water. Add in the carrot, celery, shallot, garlic, bay leaf and herbs. Bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer and leave alone for an hour. Add about 1 tsp of salt. Taste the cooking water and if it doesn't taste a little salty, add a little more salt.
Keep simmering for another 30 minutes then strain the cooking water, which should now be a delicious stock, into a jug.
Remove the veg and about 1/3 of the chickpeas into a blender. Add enough stock to cover and blend until smooth. You will be left with a delicious soup mix!
Now you are ready to cook the onion, add the chickpeas and the tomato puree, deglaze with stock, add in the soup mix, half the stock and the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente, adding more stock to stop it drying out.
Serve in warmed bowls with cracked black pepper.