Handmade Orecchiette

Pasta with Sausage

With Sausage, Spinach, Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella

The orecchiette shape literally translates to ‘little ear’ and originated in Southern Italy . This pasta is perfect for catching sauce in its cup-like shape . Making the pasta fresh, by hand, is a fun activity to do alone or with friends and family. The dough is mixed together in a matter of minutes and only requires a half hour of rest time before you can start making the pasta. The result is also infinitely better than boxed pasta. The recipe listed below was one of the most popular pasta dishes at my restaurant. There was a time when I tried to remove it from the menu in order to make room for a new dish and I had to put it right back on due to popular demand. I mix hot and sweet Italian sausage together but you can absolutely use one or the other depending on how spicy you like your food. This pasta shape will also work well with my Simple Tomato Sauce.

Simple Tomato Sauce
Quick and Easy Tomato Sauce
Check out this recipe
Tomato Sauce
Hand-Made Orecchiette
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5 from 2 votes
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Handmade Orecchiette

Easy Handmade Pasta
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Resting Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish, pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pasta
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 265kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup semolina flour
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • extra flour for surface

Instructions

  • mix flours and salt together
  • add water
  • mix together then remove from bowl and knead until dough is elastic (about 5 min)
  • Place dough in a bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap
  • allow to rest for 30 minutes

Make the shape

  • flour a working space on counter
    Pasta dough
  • cut dough into 8 pieces
  • roll each piece with your hand into a ½ inch rod
  • cut each log into ½ inch pieces
  • use your thumb to press and swirl dough into small cup shape
  • place pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil
    Pasta

Cooking method

  • add ½ tbsp of salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil
  • drop orecchiette in pot
  • when orrecchiette rises to top allow to cook for another minute
  • Total cooking time should be around 5 minutes

Notes

Please don’t worry about every piece of orecchiette looking exactly the same. This is homemade pasta. You will get the hang of it as you go along. Some people like to use a measuring spoon to help push the pasta into a cup shape.

Nutrition

Serving: 4people | Sodium: 582mg | Calcium: 12mg | Sugar: 1g | Fiber: 2g | Potassium: 112mg | Calories: 265kcal | Saturated Fat: 1g | Fat: 1g | Protein: 9g | Carbohydrates: 54g | Iron: 3mg
Pasta with Sausage
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5 from 2 votes
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Orecchiette with Sausage, Spinach, Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella

Sausage, Spinach, Chopped Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course, Sauces and Dips, lunch
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Pasta Sauce, sausage
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 575kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 3 cloves Garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
  • ½ pound Sweet Italian Sausage – casing removed
  • ½ pound Hot Italian Sausage – casing removed
  • 4 cups Baby Spinach
  • 1 pint Yellow and Red Grape Tomatoes – cut in half
  • 1½ cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
  • ½ cup Pasta cooking water – from cooking orecchiette
  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • ½ cup Parmesan Cheese- grated
  • 6 oz Fresh Mozzarella Cheese – chopped
  • 1 lb Orecchiette – cooked al dente (firm)

Instructions

  • Add 1 tbsp of oil to pan
  • Mix hot and sweet sausage together and add to pan
  • Use a spoon to break up the meat while it begins to brown – around 5 min.
  • Remove sausage from pan and set aside
  • Add the remaining tbsp of oil to pan
  • Add sliced garlic and cook until light brown on both sides
    Garlic
  • Return sausage to pan
  • Add tomatoes and cook for 5 min.
  • Add spinach, chicken broth and pasta water
  • When spinach is wilted add cooked orecchiette and butter allow to simmer in broth for a few minutes
  • Add grated parmesan
  • Turn off stove and toss in chopped fresh mozzarella

Notes

Serve with extra grated parmesan on the side and some crusty Italian bread.

Nutrition

Serving: 1person | Sodium: 901mg | Calcium: 290mg | Vitamin C: 18mg | Vitamin A: 2796IU | Sugar: 3g | Fiber: 3g | Potassium: 612mg | Cholesterol: 88mg | Calories: 575kcal | Saturated Fat: 15g | Fat: 39g | Protein: 27g | Carbohydrates: 30g | Iron: 3mg

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