Pardulas, aka Pardule or Formaggelle in Italian, are one of Sardinia’s favorite sweet treats, and one of my favorite Sardinian foods. Traditionally an Easter sweet, Pardulas are actually eaten year-round.
Soft dough gets shaped into a star and filled with a delicately sweetened ricotta cheese mixture and baked to perfection to create these little tarts. Some say they are best enjoyed warm, but trust me, if you visit Sardinia in the summer months, they are delicious at room temperature and even straight out of the fridge.
Just like Seadas, these star-shaped tartlets change their name depending on the region of Sardinia where you get them. In Nuoro and its surroundings, they are called Casadinas in the Sardinian language.
The original recipe for Pardule calls for sheep’s milk ricotta, which has a bit of a stronger flavor compared to regular cow’s milk ricotta. If you can find it, feel free to use it, or just stick to regular ricotta.
You’ll find pardulas at all traditional Sardinian bakeries, and most agriturismo in Sardinia, or traditional restaurants around the island, will serve them as dessert. More modern restaurants in Cagliari often serve a revised version of this sweet.
Recipe Quick Look
- ⏱ Prep Time: 40 minutes.
- 🔥 Cook Time: 40 minutes.
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Ricotta cheese, flour, eggs, sugar, saffron, citrus peel, semolina, and baking powder.
- 🍪 Servings: 15 servings.
- 🍂 Flavor Profile: Rich, creamy, and sweet.
- 👌 Difficulty: Medium.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- These saffron and ricotta tarts are subtle yet delicious! The creamy, tangy filling creates the perfect contrast with the rich, crispy tart shells.
- These sweet treats may look complicated, but they are actually easy to make.
Recipe Ingredients
- Ricotta: The best quality ricotta cheese you can find. This will be the filling for the tarts.
- Flour: Just your regular all-purpose flour. You’ll need this to make the dough for the tarts.
- Semolina: For a bit of texture.
- Lard: The fat, for the richness of the tart crust.
- Egg: To add that moisture and richness to the filling mixture.
- Sugar: For the sweetness.
- Lemon + orange peel: For that delicate citrusy flavor.
- Baking powder: To help the filling fluff up a bit. You can skip this one if you don’t want to use it.
- Saffron: For that beautiful color and flavor.
Variations
- For a bit of extra flavor, you can also add some vanilla extract to the ricotta filling.
- If you can’t find lard, use unsalted butter to make the dough.
How to Make Pardulas
Step 1: Combine flour, semolina, lard, and about half of the water in a small bowl.
Step 2: Mix this dough with your hands for about 10 minutes, then add the remaining water. Keep kneading until you have a smooth dough. Cover it with cling film and set it aside.
Step 3: Use a dough sheeter or rolling pin to roll out the dough into a thin sheet. Using a pastry ring, cut the dough into small rounds of about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter.
Step 4: Place a ball of the ricotta mixture at the center of the dough and pinch the dough with your fingers to obtain the traditional star shape. You should get 5 or 6 spikes.
Step 5: Bake the tarts in the preheated oven at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes.
Step 6: Let the Pardulas cool down for a few minutes before sprinkling with some powdered sugar and serving.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- You can use either semolina flour or regular flour. Just remember that the texture will be different. I prefer a mix of semolina and regular flour for that perfect bite.
- Make sure you drain all the excess water away from the ricotta and then use it for the recipe. I like letting it drain overnight to ensure I have that rich, thick filling.
- To lend the Pardulas a nice glaze, brush them with some egg yolk before you bake them.
How to Serve Sardinian Pardulas
Serve these Sardinian Pardulas with a light dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of honey. They taste best when enjoyed warm, but you can also have them cold.
Recipe FAQs
To make pardulas, you will need the following ingredients:
Fresh ricotta
Flour and Semolina
Lard
Egg
Sugar
Lemon + orange peel
Baking powder
Saffron
The origin of the name pardulas is uncertain. Some suggest it comes from the Latin word quadrula, which translates to square in English. This would refer to the geometric shape of the sweet. Others say the origins are in the word partula, or “woman giving birth,” and it refers to the rounded shape of the sweet, which reminds one of a pregnant woman’s belly.
There are many traditional sweets in Sardinia. Other than pardulas, I love seadas (or sebadas) and zippulas, which are normally found in Sardinia around Carnival. Other sweets you will enjoy eating are papassinas and the gattò di mandorle, which is similar to peanut brittle but made with almonds.
Pardule are best eaten within 3 or 4 days after they have been baked. It’s certainly better to refrigerate them during the summer months, ideally in an airtight container. In the winter, you can store them for a few days at room temperature.
You can! Make sure to keep them in a sealed container and to warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds before eating them.
This happens when you add a bit of baking powder to the ricotta cheese mixture, which is what I recommend doing so that they look a bit more fun. You can skip adding it too, if that’s what you prefer.
More Sardinian Recipes to Try
You can also try these other recipes at home:
- Culurgiones
- Malloreddus Alla Campidanese
- Fregola Con Arselle
- Spaghetti Con Le Vongole
- Agnello Coi Carciofi
- Spigola Alla Vernaccia
- Sardinian Panada
- Su Mazzamurru – Sardinian Bread And Tomato Lasagne
- Zeppole – Sardinian Carnival Sweets
Planning a trip to Sardinia? Pair your foodie adventures with insider travel tips, must-visit restaurants, and Sardinia local secrets that will make your journey unforgettable. Browse our Sardinia guides today, and get in touch with Claudia for more tips.
Sardinian Pardulas (Saffron and Ricotta Tarts)
Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING
- 1.5 pounds 700 grams of ricotta
- 2 and 1/3 tablespoons 30 grams of sugar
- 1/3 cup 50 grams of all purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1 grated lemon peel
- 1 grated orange peel
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 small bag of saffron
- 1 pinch of salt
FOR THE DOUGH
- 1 and 3/4 cups 300 grams of all purpose flour
- 1.5 cups 200 grams of semolina
- 3 and 3/4 tablespoons 50 grams of lard
- 1 cup 200 milliliters of water at room temperature
Instructions
- Combine flour, semolina, lard and about half of the water in a small bowl.
- Mix this dough with your hands for about 10 minutes then add the remaining water.
- Keep kneading until you have a smooth dough. Cover it with cling film and set it aside.
- Use a dough sheeter or rolling pin to roll out the dough into a thin sheet. Using a pastry ring, cut the dough in small rounds of about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter.
- Place a ball of the ricotta mixture at the center of the dough and pinch the dough with your fingers to obtain the traditional star shaped. You should get 5 or 6 spikes.
- Bake the tarts in the preheated oven at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Let the Pardulas cool down for a few minutes before sprinkling with some powdered sugar and serving.
Video
Notes
- Let the Pardulas cool down for a few minutes before sprinkling with some powdered sugar and serving.
- You can use either semolina flour or regular flour. Just remember that the texture will be different. I prefer this mix of semolina and regular flour for that perfect bite.
- Make sure you drain all the excess water away from the ricotta and then use it for the recipe. I like letting it drain overnight to ensure I have that rich, thick filling.
- To lend the Pardulas a nice glaze, brush them with some egg yolk before you bake them.
Nutrition
Pin It For Later!
Claudia Tavani
Claudia Tavani was born and raised in Sardinia, and after moving between the United States and the United Kingdom, she's now back living in her hometown, Cagliari. She's a travel blogger and certified travel designer who loves planning trips and publishing guides, travel tips, and packing lists so that you don't have to. Owner of Strictly Sardinia, cat mom to Minnie. Loves pizza, hiking, archeology, cities, beaches, swimming, and running. Hates peppers.