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Glite Dictionary
orecchiette

orecchiette

1 8.9
A small round Italian pasta shaped like a little ear
  • noun
  • /ˌɔrɛˈkiːɛteɪ/
translation icon : orecchiette
  • Here I tossed it with roasted zucchini coins and orecchiette pasta.
  • orecchiette pasta
  • orecchiette with sausage
  • orecchiette with broccoli

Examples

  • 12 ounces orecchiette pasta (about 3 cups)

    Blog text (23)

  • - Orecchiette, rapini...

    Letters to Juliet (2010)

  • I added the orecchiette to the boiling water and watched it cook for about 10 minutes.

  • The restaurant's special was a creamy sauce served over orecchiette with sautéed vegetables.

  • For dinner, we enjoyed a dish of orecchiette tossed with pesto and cherry tomatoes.

Synonyms

pasta
vsorecchiette
255 1.0

Food made from wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, shaped into pieces and boiled, often served with sauce

is the specific ear-shaped form rather than the general category
macaroni
vsorecchiette
57 1.0

Short tube-shaped pasta often used in salads and casseroles

is ear-shaped not long slender tubes
orzo
vsorecchiette
2 7.0

A small pasta shaped like grains of rice used in soups and salads

is ear-shaped rather than grain-shaped
cavatelli
vsorecchiette
1 7.6

A small pasta shaped like a shell from southern Italy

is ear-shaped rather than shell-shaped
ditalini
vsorecchiette
5.6

A short tube-shaped pasta used in soups and salads

is ear-shaped rather than short tubular
ditali
vsorecchiette
4.2

A small tube-shaped pasta used in soups and salads

is ear-shaped instead of tiny tube-shaped

How Big

lasagna
  • US
23 1.5
rigatoni
5 3.7
penne
9 2.4
orecchiette
1 8.9
orzo
2 7.0

Surface Forms

orecchiette singular
orecchiette plural

Etymology

Orecchiette comes from Italian and means 'little ears'; it is from orecchio ('ear') plus the small ending -ette meaning 'small'. That's why the pasta is named for its shape: each piece looks like a tiny ear, which makes the name easy to remember.