Dried beans and lentils (otherwise known as pulses) are a cornerstone of a healthy diet, packed with protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Their consumption may help prevent cancer, manage diabetes, and support a healthy gut.
This recipe for herby Sardinian Herb Soup with Fregola and White Beans (S’erbuzzu) is sure to delight. The recipe was sent to CCSA by our resident chef, Dr. Linda Doody.
“Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
Ludwig van Beethoven
Sardinian Herb Soup with Fregola and White Beans (S’erbuzzu)
The Milk Street Cookbook: The Definitive Guide to the New Home Cooking, with Every Recipe from the TV Show, 2017 to 2025, Christopher Kimball (2024)
Notes
S’erbuzzu is an herbaceous brothy soup from Sardinia, an island off the western coast of Italy. Loosely translated in the local dialect, the name means “lots of herbs.” Traditionally, it’s made with as many as 14 herbs, many of them foraged. Milk Street narrowed the list to those they felt had the most impact: parsley for grassiness, tarragon for sweet anise notes, and arugula for pepperiness. Pancetta was used to build a savory backbone to the broth, a great combination with the chewy bits of pasta and creamy beans.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 3–4 ounces pancetta, chopped (pancetta is Italian-style, salt-cured pork belly that unlike bacon is not smoked, and is seasoned with salt and spices like pepper and juniper)
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems minced, reserved separately (remove any very thick or tough stems before mincing. Using parsley stems provides more of the same flavor as the leaves while preventing food waste)
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped, reserved separately
- 1½ teaspoons fennel seeds
- ½ cup dry white wine
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup fregola (fregola is a small, round, hand-made pasta from the island of Sardinia made from toasted semolina flour and water, giving it a unique nutty, earthy flavor and chewy texture. It can be hard to find, but Rustichella D'Abruzzo Fregola Sarda is available locally at Draeger’s Market and from Amazon)
- 15½-ounce can white beans, such as butter or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (cannellini beans are recommended)
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 4 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled, divided (ricotta salata is a firm, salted, aged Italian whey cheese, substituted, but halve the amount of pecorino romano)
- 4 ounces baby arugula, roughly chopped
- ¼ to ½ cup lightly packed fresh tarragon, chopped
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium. Add pancetta; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 6–8 minutes. Stir in parsley stems, fennel seeds, wine, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until most of the moisture has evaporated, 2–3 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the fregola and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat to maintain a simmer, until fregola is just shy of tender, ~10 minutes. Add the beans, garlic, parsley leaves, and half the ricotta salata, then cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat to maintain a bare simmer, until fregola is fully tender, ~10 minutes more. Stir in the arugula and tarragon, cooking a few minutes more, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with the remaining ricotta salata and drizzled with additional olive oil. Pass lemon wedges on the side.