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Giada De Laurentiis Fregola Salad with Olive Relish & Chickpeas

Prep Time:30 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Servings: 4 minutes

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.

Ingredients:
  • 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
  • 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.
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