In a medium pot add the olive oil, garlic, carrots and celery sautee for approximately 2 minutes or until onion is transparent then add the salt, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, hot pepper flakes, tomato puree, water and chick peas. Cook over medium heat until boiling, stirring to combine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and continue cooking, stirring occasionally.
Cook for approximately 50 to 60 minutes (taste for salt and doneness). Once the beans are tender, add another cup of water (depending how soupy you like it, you may want to add more water) bring to a boil and immediately add the small pasta (taste again for salt adjust if necessary) stirring occasionally (so pasta doesn't stick to the bottom), cook until al dente (about 5-6 minutes for small pasta).
When done, serve immediately in soup bowls, topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
If using canned chickpeas then adjust the recipe as follows: In a medium pot add olive oil, garlic, carrots, celery, salt, basil, oregano, thyme, hot pepper flakes, tomato puree, water cook over medium heat till boiling, stirring until all ingredients are combined, once boiling reduce heat and continue cooking, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes, then add the canned chickpeas (2 cups) and stir to combine, continue cooking for about 15-20 minutes and continue with the recipe.Any leftover soup should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container. It will keep for about 3-4 days.If you plan on freezing the soup, then freeze it in a freezer safe container. But be sure to freeze it without the addition of pasta. The pasta will get too mushy and it won’t be very tasty. It will keep for up to four months in the freezer.