Easy Sardinian fregola with chickpeas and tomato
This warming vegan Sardinian fregola (fregula) with chickpeas is a nutritious and delicious slightly spicy pasta soup recipe. Perfect Italian cold weather comfort food this Sardinian version of pasta e ceci is a one pot meal that's easy to make. Add spinach for more fiber or pancetta/guanciale for a non-vegetarian version.
Servings: 4
Calories: 589kcal
Ingredients
- 10.5 ounces fregola sarda or Israeli couscous
- 12 ounces chickpeas dried, soaked and boiled or canned and drained
- 1 onion (yellow or red) peeled and finely chopped
- 1-2 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped
- 1-2 celery stalks finely chopped
- 1.6 pounds tomato passata
- 10-12 cherry tomatoes cut into halves
- 3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
- 1 pint vegetable stock cubes dissolved in water or homemade stock.
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 handful fresh parsley chopped
- ½ teaspoon fresh peperoncino (red chili pepper) chopped (optional) or red chili flakes
Instructions
If using dried chickpeas
- Put the dried chickpeas to soak in water overnight. In the morning, drain the chickpeas and cover with fresh water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until ready about 1 hour depending on the size and age of the chickpeas. You can also cook the chickpeas in the pressure cooker for about 20 minutes. Once cooked drain the chickpeas.
Make the soup
- Chop the peeled onion, peeled garlic and celery finely and sauté together in a pan with extra virgin olive oil and the chopped peperoncino for about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes till they start to soften. Add the tomato passata, season with salt and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add a little stock and the fregola and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring to combine.
- Cook everything together slowly for 15-20 minutes stirring all the time and adding the stock little by little. (The same way as making risotto).
- Once the fregola is just about al dente, add the drained cooked chickpeas to the sauce. (or rinsed canned chickpeas). Cook until the chickpeas are heated through. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.
- Serve immediately with more chopped parsley and some crusty bread.
Notes
If you don't have Sardinian fregola, you can use Israeli couscous in this recipe. You can add also spinach, kale or cooked mushrooms to this recipe. Instead of peperoncino, you can use rosemary or wild fennel.
Leftovers can be kept sealed in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat on the stove top or in the microwave after adding more stock or water. Alternatively, leftovers can be eaten cold as a pasta salad or baked in the oven with grated Pecorino on top.
Nutrition
Calories: 589kcal | Carbohydrates: 97g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 550mg | Potassium: 1115mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1223IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 6mg