Easy Fregola Sarda Recipe with Chickpeas and Tomato.

This easy Sardinian fregola (fregola sarda) with chickpeas is a nutritious and delicious slightly spicy vegetarian/vegan pasta soup recipe from Sardinia. Known as 'pasta e ceci' in Italian, this is perfect cold weather comfort food. Add spinach for colour and more fiber or pancetta/guanciale for a non-vegetarian version.

Pasta with chickpeas is healthy.

When the cold days of November and December hit, using pasta in soups is very popular here in Italy. Pasta adds healthy carbohydrates and bulk that turn a soup into a hearty dish.

Legumes are also a common ingredient in Italian soups. In this Sardinian recipe, the chickpeas add protein, calcium, iron and fiber as well as other nutrients, so this fregola recipe with chickpeas is a well-balanced meal too!

Chickpea recipes in Sardinia.

People have cultivated chickpeas in Sardinia since the times of Ancient Rome. As you can imagine, there are many traditional chickpea recipes on the island. Many of these are types of soup like ‘minestra di ceci e finocchio’, made with chickpeas and wild fennel or ‘zuppa di ceci e verza’ (chickpea and savoy cabbage soup).  

Another famous Sardinian chickpea recipe is stewed chickpeas. The Sardinians also use chickpeas in a very old sweet Christmas recipe called ‘cixirau’ in which they cook chickpeas with honey, sugar, Christmas spices like cinnamon and cloves and orange peel!

The city of Sassari in Sardinia is famous for a type of chickpea flour pancake called ‘fainé alla sassarese’. This popular street food was imported from Liguria centuries ago by Genovese sailors who landed in the ports of northern Sardinia. Sardinians eat it either alone or flavored with onions and/or Sardinian sausage.

What is fregola?

Fregola (or fregula) is a small pasta typical of Sardinia. It is made of tiny balls of durum wheat semolina flour and water, worked by hand and then toasted in the oven. This is a traditional Sardinian pasta, not found in other Italian regions. It looks very similar to pearl couscous but with a slightly nutty flavor.

Fregola is often called Italian couscous or Sardinian couscous. The fregola sarda I used for this recipe was made of khorasan wheat (kamut in Italian). It wasn't toasted, just dried. If you want to learn more about this unique type of pasta, check out my post on Sardinian fregola.

Dried or canned chickpeas?

I definitely prefer using dried chickpeas to canned. But, of course, this recipe can be made with both. Obviously, soaking dried chickpeas overnight and then boiling them takes time. However, I think the result is more flavourful and healthier. Dried chickpeas are more economical and they have a more natural flavour.

The two main differences between canned and dried chickpeas is firstly the latter have less sodium. Secondly, the leftover cooking liquid from chickpeas is rather special. Known as aquafaba or chickpea water, it can be used as a vegan substitute in many recipes that call for eggs or egg whites!

How to make Sardinian fregola with chickpeas.

This Sardinian fregola with chickpeas is a pretty easy recipe with simple ingredients. Apart from the fregola and chickpeas, all you need is onions, garlic, celery, tomatoes, tomato passata, parsley, some vegetable broth, black pepper and peperoncino (red chili pepper). You can leave the latter out if you don’t like spicy food or add more to make it spicier.

Step by step instructions.

1) Prepare the ingredients according to the instructions in the recipe card.

2) Sauté the chopped onion, garlic, celery and peperoncino (if using) in olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven.

3) Add the halved cherry tomatoes to the pot and cook until they soften a little.

4) Add the tomato passata to the pot, mix and stir over a low heat.

5) Add a little broth and then the fregola to the pot.

6) Cook the fregola like risotto, adding a little broth at a time and keep stirring.

7) When the fregola is almost cooked but still al dente, add the cooked or canned chickpeas.

8) Once the chickpeas are heated through, add fresh parsley. Your fregola sarda with chickpeas is ready to serve!

Cook's tip.

Because the fregola pasta cooks in the soup it actually absorbs a lot of the liquid, so the end result can be more like a soupy risotto (fregotto) than a soup. However, if you want your Sardinian fregola with chickpeas to have more liquid, just add some extra broth or water.

Fregola and chickpeas are a great combo.

Fregola and chickpeas are such a great combination. Not only are they delicious together, but the similarity in the size and shape of both gives this soup a fabulous texture and look. However, if you don’t have fregola you can use Israeli couscous (pearl couscous) instead. It is also small balls of pasta!

Ingredient additions and substitutions.

Spinach or kale go really well in this Sardinian version of pasta e ceci, as do red onions, mushrooms or other legumes like red or black beans. Instead of peperoncino (red chilli pepper), use fennel or rosemary. Non vegetarians can also add pancetta.

However you make this vegan Sardinian fregola with chickpeas, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that it is classic Italian comfort food with a wonderful flavor!

What to do with leftovers.

You can keep any leftover fregola with chickpeas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. After a while, most of the liquid will be absorbed by the pasta, so when reheating you will need to add some more liquid (vegetable stock or broth or water). Reheat in a pan over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or in the microwave.

Leftovers can also be enjoyed at room temperature as a pasta salad with a drizzle of olive oil. Fregola salad makes a great side dish. You can also bake leftovers with some grated pecorino cheese sprinkled on top.

N:B: Adding pecorino or any Italian hard cheese will mean this dish is no longer vegan or vegetarian. Use a vegetarian or vegan parmesan if you want to add cheese.

Let me know what you think.

If you do try this fregola recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. Please, write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.

Your feedback means a lot to me!

Buon Appetito!

Pin for later.

More Sardinian fregola recipes here on The Pasta Project.

1. Fregola with clams
2. Fregola with lamb
3. Fregola with artichokes

If you are interested in learning how to make homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians! Plus while you’re there why not order a copy of one of my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some recommended pasta making tools? They make great prezzies for pasta lovers!