Pasta and chickpeas or "Pasta e ceci" with bell peppers and tomatoes

"Rice and beans" is a frequent thing in this home. Then now and then and quite often, Hania demands pasta. I'm glad she does. And I'm glad Italians invented (did they?) and we tried for the first time "pasta e ceci"... 

"Pasta e ceci" with bell peppers and tomatoes
by Gray Apron
time: 12-24 hours to soak chickpeas / 20 min preparation

ingredients
2 cups dry chickpeas (soaked overnight)
2 bay leaves
10 tubes cannelloni pasta
2 medium red onions, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1-2 large red bell peppers, chopped
3 sun dried tomatoes in oil (I buy them in a jar)
olive oil, coarse salt
handful rucola

method
Cook chickpeas in water with bay leaves. I cook them in a pressure cooker for 10 min (plus depressurizing time). I add salt after I open the cooker. I drain them after 5 minutes. Set cooked chickpeas aside. Meanwhile...

On a large skillet, heat 1-2 Tablespoons oil. Add chopped onions, peppers and tomatoes. Saute for about 10 minutes, adding salt half way through cooking and about 1/2 - 1 cup of water to prevent drying.  Meanwhile...

Cook cannelloni. Drain (save about 1/2 - 1 cup of cooking water and pour it into a tall container). Cut them into chunky pieces.

Prepare sauce: add a handful of chickpeas to the tall container (with pasta water), drop in dried tomatoes with their oils. Using a handheld immersion blender, blend peas till smooth.

Incorporate pasta, chickpeas and chickpea sauce with the cooked vegetables. Adjust seasoning. Serve with fresh rucola.

notes

• it's nice to use large-shape type pasta; torn lasagna sheets would be my next choice;
• red bell pepper season is on around here; they are local, abundant, inexpensive and delicious.