Orecchiette Pasta

Orecchiette are a distinct small ear-shaped pasta from Puglia, Italy, where they are famously prepared with broccoli rabe, in Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa. Their shape is perfect for scooping up sauces and smaller ingredients like peppers and crumbled Italian sausage. 

DeLallo Pasta comes from the town where pasta was born, a region near Naples, at the beginning of the Amalfi Coast. The art of making our pasta begins with the very best quality wheat. We carefully choose wheat with the highest gluten index, gluten content and protein content. All of these characteristics affect how the pasta cooks, as well as its taste and texture. The durum wheat is milled into coarse ground semolina flour and then carefully kneaded with cold, fresh, mineral-rich mountain spring water. We dry our pasta slowly at low temperatures to reproduce the traditional way of making pasta. This method respects the ingredients, preserving the pasta’s color, texture and aroma.

• Made in Italy with a blend of high quality durum wheat.
• Extruded with bronze dies for a rougher sauce-capturing surface.
• Pasta always cooks up with that perfect al dente bite.
• A short cut of pasta with a distinct small ear shape.

Kitchen and Usage Tips:

Orecchiette pasta are little scoops great for capturing chunkier tomato sauces and small bits of vegetables, beans and crumbled Italian sausage. This is why Orecchiette shines in a number of dishes, including cold picnic pasta salads, cream sauces, heartier meat ragùs, pesto and vegetable primavera-style sauces. We love Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli tossed in olive oil and topped with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Don’t forget to spice things up with red pepper flakes!

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is orecchiette? Named for its “small ear” shape, Orecchiette is a short cut of pasta born in a region of Southern Italy known as Puglia. This pasta shape is round and concave with a thicker edge than its middle, giving Orecchiette pasta a distinct texture: tender in the middle with chewier edges. and the appearance of small ears. Orecchiette means “little ears” in Italian.

How do I pronounce orecchiette? Orecchiette is pronounced oh-reck-ee-ET-tee.

Is orecchiette the same as shells? While it can resemble a seashell shape, Orecchiette are not the same thing as shells. Shells are curved inward into a conch shell shape, where Orechiette are round, slightly concave disks.

Learn more about pasta shapes.

What Is Orecchiette Pasta Used For? There are many Orecchiette pasta recipes out there, but Orecchiette is best known for Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa, or Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe. These small ears are perfect for scooping up chunkier tomato sauces, hearty cream sauces, crumbled Italian sausage, broccoli and other bite-sized ingredients. Go decadent with a decadent Broccoli Alfredo or serve it simply in an olive-oil-based sauce with Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper.

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