Fregola Pasta

Hold on to summer with this perfectly cooked Sardinian Fregola Pomodoro or Fregula Sarda coated in a luscious basil pesto and served with slow roasted sweet cherry tomatoes. Brightened up with a squeeze of citrus it's the perfect summer lunch meal that also makes great leftovers and packs well for the office.

Course Entree, Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Keyword fregola, pesto pasta

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings people

Calories 543kcal

Ingredients

3 cups fregola pasta 1 lb
1.5 lb cherry tomatoes
10 cloves garlic in paper
2 sprigs rosemary (or 1/2 bunch of fresh thyme)
2-3 tbsp olive oil

Basil Pesto

2.5 cups basil leaves
1/3 cup walnuts or pine nuts toasted
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil + more as needed
1 lemon juiced
2 cloves garlic grated

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 360”F.
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and place them in a 9x13 inch roasting dish together with 10 garlic cloves in paper, rosemary or thyme and a pinch of sea salt. Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and give everything a good shake to coat all over. Roast in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes until the tomatoes have collapsed and start showing some brown edges. Discard the herb stalks and reserve the roasted garlic cloves.
1.5 lb cherry tomatoes, 10 cloves garlic in paper, 2 sprigs rosemary, 2-3 tbsp olive oil
Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Salt abundantly and cook the fregola according to the directions on the package, stirring often to prevent sticking.Taste for doneness a couple of minutes before the indicated cooking time. Once an al dente texture is achieved drain and rinse quickly under cold water to prevent sticking.
3 cups fregola pasta
While the pasta is cooking make the pesto. Add the basil leaves, toasted nuts, grated garlic, olive oil and the juice from one lemon to a food processor and puree using the pulse button until desired texture is achieved. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and season to taste with sea salt and more lemon or olive oil as desired.
2.5 cups basil leaves, 1/3 cup walnuts or pine nuts, 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 lemon, 2 cloves garlic
Add the cooked fregola to the bowl with the pesto sauce and toss to coat well all over. Mix in half of the roasted tomatoes and reserve the rest to pile up over the top when serving.
3 cups fregola pasta

Notes

Substitutes - If you are not able to outsource any Italian fregula you could substitute it with another small shape pasta like orecchiette, orzo or even farro grains. Israeli couscous and Middle Eastern Moghrabieh could also work in a pinch.
Pesto swaps - In the colder months the basil pesto can be swapped for sun dried tomato and the roasted tomatoes for marinated artichoke hearts, grilled asparagus, roasted butternut or acorn squash, chopped black olives, charred red onion or shallots, crispy roasted broccoli and balsamic Brussels sprouts.

Nutrition