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Agnello alla Mauritana

Traditional Sardinian lamb stew from Carloforte with sun-dried tomatoes, served over fregula cooked in the same pot.

Carnivore Dairy-Free Nut-Free
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Prep 25 min
Cook 1h 30m
Total 1h 55m
Servings 4
Difficulty Medium

Ingredients

Meat

Pasta

Sauce base

For cooking

Seasoning

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Instructions

  1. Finely chop the onion and the sun-dried tomatoes together. You can do this by hand or pulse them in a food processor. The mixture should be quite fine, almost a paste.

  2. Cut the lamb into small pieces, about 3 to 4 cm. Pat them dry with paper towels.

    Tip: Dry meat browns better. If the pieces are wet, they will steam instead of sear.

  3. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the lamb pieces and brown them on all sides, turning them so they colour evenly. Do not crowd the pot. Work in batches if necessary.

    Tip: The browning is where the flavour starts. Do not move the pieces around too much. Let them sit until a crust forms before turning.

  4. Add the chopped onion and sun-dried tomato mixture to the lamb. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. The tomatoes will soften and break down into a thick, dark sauce that coats the lamb. If the pot gets too dry, add a small splash of water.

  5. Season with salt and pepper. Taste the sauce and adjust. Remove the pot from the heat, transfer the lamb to a warm plate, and cover to keep warm.

  6. Pour about 1 litre of water into the same pot, scraping the bottom to lift the cooked-on residue. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

    Tip: Everything stuck to the bottom of the pot is concentrated flavour. This step is what makes the fregula taste like something more than just pasta in water.

  7. Add the fregula to the boiling liquid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the water has nearly evaporated and the fregula is tender but not mushy, about 12 to 15 minutes. The fregula should be moist, not dry.

    Tip: Watch closely toward the end. Fregula goes from perfectly cooked to sticking to the bottom of the pot in a short window. Stir more frequently in the last few minutes.

  8. Spread the fregula across a warm serving platter. Arrange the lamb stew on top. Serve immediately.

Storage & Meal Prep

Refrigerate for up to 3 days. The fregula will absorb more of the sauce as it sits, which improves the flavour. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water. Can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Variations

  • With potatoes: Add peeled and halved small potatoes to the pot when you return the lamb for the final simmer. They will cook in the sauce and make the dish even more substantial.
  • With fresh tomatoes instead of sun-dried: Replace the sun-dried tomatoes with 400 g of canned peeled tomatoes, passed through a sieve. The sauce will be lighter and more liquid. Add a pinch of sugar to balance the acidity.
  • With pecorino: Grate aged pecorino over each plate before serving. The saltiness of the cheese pairs well with the sweetness of the sun-dried tomatoes and lamb.

FAQ

What does alla mauritana mean?

The name refers to the North African influence on Carloforte's cuisine. Carloforte is on San Pietro Island, off the southwestern coast of Sardinia. The town was settled in the 18th century by Genoese families coming from Tabarka, Tunisia, and the local cooking still carries that crossover. The sun-dried tomatoes and the one-pot method reflect that heritage.

Can I use regular pasta instead of fregula?

You can, but the texture will be different. Fregula is toasted, which gives it a nutty flavour and a slightly chewy bite that holds up well in the sauce. Orzo or small pasta shapes are the closest substitutes.

Why cook the fregula in the same pot as the lamb?

The lamb leaves behind a concentrated cooking residue on the bottom of the pot. When you add water and fregula to that same pot, the pasta absorbs all of that flavour. This is the point of the dish. Using a separate pot for the fregula would waste half the reason for making it.

What cut of lamb should I use?

Spezzatino, which means stewing lamb cut into small pieces. Shoulder or leg works well. The pieces should be small, roughly 3 to 4 cm, so they cook through in about an hour. Bone-in pieces add flavour but boneless is easier to eat.

Interactive Nutrition Map

4 Servings

Customize Ingredients

Meat & Poultry
Lamb Stew Meat (Bone-In, Mixed Cuts)
1000 g
Vegetables
Sun-Dried Tomato
249 g
Onion (Yellow/White)
110 g
Grains & Bread
Fregula Sarda
298 g
Oils & Fats
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
81 g

Per Serving

1251kcalCalories
64gProtein
91gCarbs
71gFat
10gFiber
Sodium
238mg10% DV
Potassium
3014mg64% DV
Calcium
128mg10% DV
Iron
12mg67% DV
Magnesium
209mg50% DV
Vitamin C
26.5mg29% DV
Vitamin A
83µg9% DV
Vitamin K
39.1µg33% DV
Folate
75µg19% DV
Lamb Stew Meat (Bone-In, Mixed Cuts)
Fregula Sarda
Sun-Dried Tomato
Onion (Yellow/White)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* Nutrition is an estimate; actual values vary by ingredient brands and cooking methods. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

The Story Behind This Dish

A Carloforte Lamb Stew

Agnello alla mauritana comes from Carloforte, a small town on San Pietro Island off the southwestern coast of Sardinia. The island is closer to the North African coast than to mainland Italy, and its cooking carries that geography in every dish. The name itself, alla mauritana, points to the North African roots of the community. Genoese families settled here in the 18th century after generations in Tabarka, Tunisia, and the food they brought with them was already a mix of Ligurian and North African traditions.

This is a one-pot dish built in two stages. First, lamb is browned and then braised slowly with a paste of sun-dried tomatoes and onion until the meat is tender and the sauce is dark and concentrated. Then the lamb is lifted out, and fregula is cooked in the same pot, in the liquid and residue left behind. The fregula absorbs everything. You plate the pasta first and lay the lamb on top.

It is not a complicated dish, but it needs time. The lamb has to braise for a full hour, and you cannot rush that. The rest is straightforward.

Why This Works

Sun-dried tomatoes instead of fresh. The original recipe does not use fresh tomatoes at all. Sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated slowly in the pan with the lamb and onion, create a thick, sweet-dark sauce that is different from anything you get with canned or fresh tomatoes. The flavour is more concentrated and slightly caramelised.

The one-pot method. Cooking the fregula in the same pot as the lamb is not a shortcut. It is the technique. The lamb leaves behind a layer of rendered fat, caramelised tomato, and meat juices on the bottom of the pot. When you deglaze with water and cook the fregula in that liquid, the pasta picks up all of it. A separate pot would produce separate-tasting food.

Small lamb pieces. The lamb is cut into pieces small enough to braise through in about an hour. Larger pieces would need longer, and the sun-dried tomato sauce would risk burning before the meat is done. Small pieces also mean more surface area for browning, which means more flavour in the sauce.

Fregula, not pasta. Fregula is the Sardinian answer to couscous. It is a small, toasted pasta pearl that holds its shape and has a slightly chewy, nutty texture. It absorbs liquid without turning mushy, which makes it ideal for this kind of one-pot preparation where the pasta has to stand up to a long cook.

What to Serve With

  • A bitter green salad on the side to cut through the richness
  • Crusty bread if you want to mop up the sauce
  • A glass of Cannonau di Sardegna

Part of: The Sardinian Kitchen

Related: Sardinian Table: Real Meals | Sardinian Ingredients Guide