- 6 cups drained and rinsed canned chickpeas
- 3 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock, more if needed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 rib celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- Pinch dried red-pepper flakes
- 1 cup canned tomatoes in thick puree, chopped
- 1/2 cup tubetti or other small macaroni
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 pound Swiss chard, tough stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
- Puree half of the chickpeas with 1 1/2 cups of the broth in a blender or food processor. In a large pot, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups broth, the pureed chickpeas, whole chickpeas, bay leaf, red-pepper flakes, tomatoes, tubetti, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes.
- Add the Swiss chard to the pot. Simmer until the chard is tender and the pasta is done, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the black pepper. If the soup thickens too much on standing, stir in more broth or water.