Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (2024)

by Kathryn Burrington | Food and Drink, Italy, Recipes, Sardinia

Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (1)

We may not be able to travel far at the moment but if like me, you enjoy travelling with your taste buds, I’ve plenty of delicious recipes to share with you collected on my travels. Today’s Zuppa Gallurese recipe from the Italian island of Sardinia is real comfort food at its best. It’s both tasty and filling and a great way to use up stale bread.

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I first tried Zuppa Gallurese during a traditional Sardinian feast at an agriturismo in the north-east of the island. Dish after delicious dish was served to us but it was the Zuppa Gallurese, more than anything else, that stuck in my mind. I loved this savoury bread pudding (not a soup as the name suggests). And it’s a breeze to reproduce at home if you can find the right cheese that is.

This traditional peasant dish is believed to date back to the middle ages. I’ve seen recipes with different cheeses being used including Casizolu mixed with Pecorino but I’ve stuck with the recipe a Sardinian friend gave me using three different kinds of local cheese.What never varies though, is that the cheese should be from Sardinia. However, if you can’t source Sardinian cheese, any good Italian Parmagiano or Pecorino cheese will do at a pinch mixed with a cheese that melts well. You could try substituting the fontina with mozzarella or even gouda. Just don’t tell the Sardinians I said so!

The broth is traditionally made from mutton but beef, or even chicken or a mix of all three can be used, just as long as it is full of flavour.

One of the great things about this recipe is that you don’t have to be too particular about your quantities and the end result is tasty and hearty. It’s the perfect comfort food for a chilly evening in England whatever the time of year. While today the sun is shining in a glorious blue sky, I’m sure we’ve not seen the last of the chilly weather before spring finally arrives.

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Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (2)

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Zuppa Gallurese

A tasty, filling savoury bread pudding from Sardinia.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword cheese, stale bread

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to a medium heat.

  • Heat the broth.

  • Finely chop the parsley.

  • Grate the Pecorino.

  • Cover the bottom of an ovenproof dish with the bread making sure there are no gaps.

  • Cover the bread with the grated cheese, a little black pepper and parsley.

  • Repeat layering the bread and cheese ending with a layer of bread.

  • Slowly ladle the hot broth to wet all the bread but not to drown it. You may not need it all.

  • Use the back of a spoon to gently push the bread down to soak up the broth.

  • Check you have added enough broth by poking the bread with a fork. If the bread sticks to the fork you need to add a little more broth.

  • Sprinkle the fontina over the top.

  • Bake in a moderate oven for around 45 minutes until the cheese has melted and a crispy golden crust has formed.

  • Leave to stand for about ten minutes and serve while still hot.

Notes

The Pecorino can be substituted with Parmagiano and the fontina with mozzarella or even gouda.

Pair with a full-bodied Italian red wine or the white wine, Vermentino di Gallura. Enjoy!


Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (3)

Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (4)

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  1. Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (5)

    Kacie Morgan on April 1, 2020 at 9:04 am

    Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (6)
    This looks delicious Kat – like my kinda comfort food! Three kinds of cheese; I bet it’s a real treat, mmm!

    Reply

  2. Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (7)

    Suzanne Jones on March 28, 2020 at 8:49 am

    Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (8)
    Sounds like the perfect comfort food on a chilly day. Easy to make and tasty too – I’m saving this one!

    Reply

    • Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (9)

      Kathryn Burrington on March 28, 2020 at 10:47 am

      Hasn’t the weather been wonderful lately?! Definitely one to save for a chillier day. I’m going to make my lemon pasta this weekend for the first time this year. That’s the perfect recipe for a sunny day.

      Reply

  3. Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (10)

    Danik on March 23, 2020 at 8:41 am

    Now I got a bit of free time at home, I am going to give this a bash and see what it turns out like for me. 🙂 My daughter is learning to cook (despite being nearly four…might as well give her a head start in life). 😀

    Reply

    • Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (11)

      Kathryn Burrington on March 25, 2020 at 1:26 pm

      That’s great that you are teaching her already. My Grandmother used to teach me. Do let me know how you get on.

      Reply

      • Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (12)

        Tara on February 24, 2022 at 2:54 pm

        Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (13)
        My Sardegnian friends make this with fresh mint! At home in the states I think parm and provolone make decent cheese substitutions.

        Reply

        • Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (14)

          Kathryn Burrington on April 10, 2022 at 1:21 pm

          Thanks for those tips, Tara. Not thought of trying mint!

          Reply

        • Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (15)

          Victoria on July 5, 2023 at 9:05 pm

          Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (16)
          Hi – flying home from Sardinia and thinking about this amazing dish we had while there – which I had never had before. I’d also never had fresh pecorino before. It is SO good. Reminds me of teleme. Your recipe looks delicious! Do we add the fresh pecorino in the layers after the first one? Not seeing when to add.
          Grazie!

          Reply

          • Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (17)

            Kathryn Burrington on July 6, 2023 at 5:55 pm

            Hi Victoria, I add both kinds together in steps 6 and 7. Please do let me know how you get on if you try making it yourself.

            Reply

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Zuppa Gallurese recipe, hearty comfort food from Sardinia (2024)

FAQs

What is zuppa gallurese made of? ›

4 cups (1 L) beef broth. About ½ loaf of bread (~14 ounces or 400 g), sliced (see above) About 9 ounces (250 g) provolone cheese, or to taste, chopped. Grated pecorino cheese, to taste.

What is the signature dish of Sardinia? ›

Porcetto arrosto (roasted suckling pig)

Porcetto arrosto is one of the traditional Sardinian foods that's inspired by traditions of the island, dating back to when shepherds would take a small suckling pig and roast it in a pit in the earth filled with aromatic spices such as rosemary.

What is Sardinia's national dish? ›

Pecora in cappotto. This mutton stew, made with rich broth, wild herbs, and potatoes, is the quintessential dish of the Sardinian islands. The name, which translates to “sheep in a coat,” is a reference to a pastoral tradition of leaving the oldest sheep in the herd unshorn during annual sheep-shearing feast.

What does zuppa mean in Italy? ›

(ˈzuːpə, Italian ˈtsuːppɑː) noun. Italian Cookery. a soup or chowder. [1960–65; ‹ It: soup]

What is the national soup of Italy? ›

Minestrone Soup - National Soup of Italy.

What do Sardinians eat for breakfast? ›

Breakfast is not considered a very important meal in Sardinia, Italy, Buettner said, so many Sardinians start their day with a lunch-style dish: often a minestrone soup, consisting of vegetables, pasta, beans, and Parmesan. The soup is eaten with sourdough bread and sheep's milk cheese as well as some black coffee.

What flour do they use in Sardinia? ›

Su pistoccu and spianata

Its main ingredients are semolina and durum wheat flour, water, salt and yeast. The skilful hands of housewives give it different shapes and thicknesses depending on where it is made, with rustic aromas and flavours of the past.

What is Sardinia called in English? ›

island of Italy. Sardinia (Italian: Sardegna, Sardinian: Sardigna) is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is an autonomous region of Italy. It was formerly the Kingdom of Sardinia. Sardinia.

What meat is eaten in Sardinia? ›

There are also plenty of delicious meat dishes, from roast lamb, goat, rabbit, and of course, su porcheddu (suckling pig).

What is a Sardinian snack? ›

Over recent years, pane guttiau has become the number one Sardinian snack. The famous sfogliatine di Su Guttiau, a crunchy puff-pastry, is the modern interpretation of traditional Sardinian pane carasau.

What do sardinians eat for dessert? ›

Some of the most well-known traditional Sardinian desserts include seadas (also known as sebadas), pardulas, casadinas, pirichittus, amaretti, and torrone. These sweets showcase the unique flavors and ingredients of the island, such as honey, saffron, citrus, almonds, and ricotta cheese.

What do sardinians eat for dinner? ›

So, Enjoy your meal!
  • Seafood Fregola with saffron. In our opinion, these are the 10 Sardinian top dishes which you should definitely taste during your visit in Sardinia: ...
  • Zuppa gallurese. ...
  • Suckling pig or “porcheddu” ...
  • Spaghetti with sea urchin. ...
  • Bottarga. ...
  • Culurgiones. ...
  • Octopus salad. ...
  • Lamb with artichokes.
Sep 30, 2021

What do sardinians eat in a day? ›

The classic Sardinian diet consists of whole-grain bread, beans, garden vegetables, fruits, and, in some parts of the island, mastic oil. Sardinians also traditionally eat pecorino cheese made from grass-fed sheep, whose cheese is high in omega-3 fatty acids.

What is Zuppa Toscana made of? ›

It is a creamy soup made with Italian sausage, bacon, tender potatoes, garlic, and kale. It is rich, hearty, and flavorful. No wonder it is so popular.

What is zuppa soup made of? ›

Zuppa Toscana is a creamed stock-based soup with sausage, kale, and potatoes. It translates from Italian to English as Tuscan soup. Tuscany is a region in the Northwest side of Italy. There are variations to this soup depending on what's available and in season and other additions like vegetables and beans.

What's the difference between minestrone and zuppa? ›

In modern Italian, there are three words corresponding to the English word soup: zuppa, which is used in the sense of tomato soup, or fish soup; minestra, which is used in the sense of a more substantial soup such as a vegetable soup, and also for "dry" soups, namely pasta dishes; and minestrone, which means a very ...

Why is it called Zuppa Toscana? ›

Zuppa Toscana is Italian and literally translates to Tuscan Soup. In Italy it's more specifically called Minestra di Pane, which means Bread Soup. The classic version is filled with cannellini beans, kale, zucchini, some chile powder, Italian bacon (called rigatino), tomatoes or tomato pulp, and Tuscan bread.

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