Meaning & use
orecchiette pasta
Last updated
UK/ˌɒrəˈkjɛteɪ ˌpæstə/
US/ˌɔːrəˈkjɛteɪ ˌpɑːstə/
Meaning
noununcountable
A type of small Italian pasta shaped like little ears, often served with vegetables or a thick sauce.
Grammar: No plural; use 'some orecchiette pasta' or 'a piece of orecchiette pasta'.
Patterns
- cook orecchiette pasta
- serve orecchiette pasta with something
I bought a bag of orecchiette pasta at the Italian market.
Orecchiette pasta is perfect for holding chunky sauces.
Common combinations
- orecchiette pasta with broccoli
- We had orecchiette pasta with broccoli and garlic for dinner.
- fresh orecchiette pasta
- Fresh orecchiette pasta takes less time to cook than dried.
- a bowl of orecchiette pasta
- She ordered a bowl of orecchiette pasta at the new restaurant.
- orecchiette pasta salad
- This orecchiette pasta salad is great for a picnic.
Synonyms and how they differ
- little ear pasta
- A descriptive English term for the same shape, but less common on menus.
Word family
- orecchiette noun
- The shorter form, used alone to mean the same pasta.
Commonly confused: orecchiette pasta or orecchio?
orecchiette pasta vs orecchio
This is the Italian word for 'ear' (singular). 'Orecchiette' means 'little ears' and is the pasta.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'orecchiette pasta' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Because 'orecchiette pasta' is uncountable, you say 'some orecchiette pasta'. The other options treat it as countable, which is wrong.
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