Giada De Laurentiis’ Fregola Salad with Olive Relish & Chickpeas

5.0
(2)
2 Reviews

We’ve come a long way since "pasta salad" meant elbow macaroni drowning in mayo, but even so, most pasta salads are more pasta than salad and, more often than not, too soggy and bland for my taste. I like to make mine with a small pasta shape, like orzo or, as here, fregola, a small Sardinian pasta similar to an Israeli couscous (a good substitute if you can’t find fregola). This is a fairly straightforward salad, with some chickpeas for protein, but you could add cucumber, cooked broccoli, bits of cheese or tuna to make it even more substantial.

By
Giada De Laurentiis
Giada De Laurentiis
Giada De Laurentiis
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Giada De Laurentiis is the Emmy award winning television personality, an NBC Today Show contributor, a successful restaurateur with restaurants GIADA and Pronto by Giada in Las Vegas. She is the author of 10 New York Times bestselling cookbooks, including her most recent, Eat Better, Feel Better. She recently launched her catering company Giada Catering, and is the founder of the lifestyle and e-commerce platform, Giadzy.com, that brings authentic Italian experiences home through recipes, content, travel, and carefully sourced foods from local producers in Italy.

EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines
Published on March 4, 2025
Reviewed by Dietitian
Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD
Emily Lachtrupp Headshot
Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD

Emily Lachtrupp is a registered dietitian experienced in nutritional counseling, recipe analysis and meal plans. She's worked with clients who struggle with diabetes, weight loss, digestive issues and more. In her spare time, you can find her enjoying all that Vermont has to offer with her family and her dog, Winston.

EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines
an image of Giada De Laurentiis’ Fregola Salad with Olive Relish & Chickpeas
Credit:

Ray Kachatorian
Active Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
1 hr
Servings:
6
Nutrition Profile:
No Added Sugar Mediterranean Diet Sesame-Free Nut-Free Dairy-Free Soy-Free Vegan Vegetarian Egg-Free

Adapted from SUPER ITALIAN by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2025 by Giada De Laurentiis. Used by permission of Rodale Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.  All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 6 servings

Olive Relish

  • ½ small shallot

  • ¾ cup pitted Castelvetrano olives

  • 1 tablespoon drained capers

  • 1 small garlic clove, peeled

  • Grated zest and juice of 1 small orange

  • 1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar

  • ½ tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Salad

  • 1½ cups (about 8 ounces) fregola or Israeli couscous

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • ¾ cup Green Olive Relish

  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas drained and rinsed

  • 1½ cups red and yellow grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

  • 2 cups baby arugula

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. To make the relish: Thinly slice the shallot, place in a small bowl with water to cover, and soak for 15 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a food processor.

  2. Add the olives and capers and pulse just until finely minced but not pureed to a paste. Transfer to a bowl. Use a microplane to grate the garlic directly into the bowl.

  3. Add the orange zest, orange juice, oil, vinegar, oregano, and salt and stir to combine. Store the relish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

  4. To make the salad: In a saucepan, combine the fregola, salt, and 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and cook until the fregola is tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well, then transfer to a large bowl. Stir in ½ cup of the olive relish until well combined and set aside to cool for at least 15 minutes.

  5. In a medium bowl, combine the chickpeas, tomatoes, arugula, oil, vinegar, and the remaining ¼ cup olive relish.

  6. Add the chickpea mixture to the fregola and combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve at room temperature.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: about 1 cup

Calories 380, Fat 16g, Saturated Fat 2g, Cholesterol 0mg, Carbohydrates 49g, Total Sugars 5g, Added Sugars 0g, Protein 10g, Fiber 5g, Sodium 746mg, Potassium 210mg

EatingWell.com, March 2025