Ramadan food: Chickpea pasta soup

Iftar soups

When it is time to break the fast, it is best to ease into eating, rather than going straight for a full-on meal. After having a few dates with tahini or yoghurt, the next best thing to ease into eating with is soup. But after a week, sometimes inspiration runs thin for this Ramadan staple. Here we present a soup-a-day to help with culinary brain-freeze during the Holy Month.

Chickpea Pasta Soup

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 sprigs rosemary, minced
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
6 cups vegetable stock
1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
8 oz. cavatelli (shell shape) pasta
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high; add rosemary, celery, carrot, and onion and cook until soft, 8-10 minutes. Add stock and chickpeas; simmer 5 minutes. Optional (to make the soup creamier) Remove half the chickpeas and mash until smooth; return chickpeas to pan. Add pasta and cook until just done,about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in parsley and serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.