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Homemade orecchiette pasta on a worktop

Orecchiette pasta

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Resting time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 5 people
Author: Nico Pallotta

For the homemade orecchiette

  • 3 cups (500 grams) durum wheat semolina flour
  • 1 cup (250 grams) water + 1 to 2 tablespoons if necessary depending on altitude, humidity, and temperature.
  • 2 pinches sea salt

  • To a large mixing bowl, add 3 cups durum wheat semolina flour
    Add 1 cup water, 2 pinches sea salt, and mix with a fork until water is absorbed.
    semolina flour and water mixed in a bowl with a fork
  • Transfer the mixture to a clean worktop and knead with your hands for 5 to 10 minutes until you get a compact and firm dough.
    Shape it into a ball, cover it with a cloth, and let it rest for 15 minutes.
    Two hands shaping a semolina dough for pasta
  • Cut the dough ball into four pieces. Take one piece and cover the other pieces with a clean kitchen cloth.
    Roll the dough into a long strand, about 1 cm or a little less than ½ inch thick.
    Hands rolling a rope of pasta dough on marble
  • Cut the dough strand into small pieces about 1 cm or a little less than ½ inch each.
    Sprinkle with semolina flour to prevent the pieces from sticking to each other.
    Hands cutting pasta dough into small pieces
  • To shape the orecchiette, you’ll need a table knife with a straight edge. A butter knife also works.
    Sprinkle your worktop with semolina flour. With the knife’s edge, push down on the piece of dough while dragging it towards you.
    You should get a small shell-shaped piece.
    Turn the shell-shaped piece inside out on your finger, and you’ll have your orecchiette.
    How to shape orecchiette pasta
  • Arrange them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. If the dough is a little sticky, you can sprinkle it with semolina flour.
    hands holding homemade orecchiette pasta
  • You can cook homemade orecchiette immediately in a pot with plenty of salted boiling water for about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on their size.
    See "Serving suggestions" chapter linked below for ideas on how to serve them.
    orecchiette con le cime di rapa - orecchiette with broccoli rabe
Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 serving of homemade orecchiette out of 5 servings without sauce.
STORAGE & MAKE AHEAD
Make ahead: Fresh homemade orecchiette is excellent for making ahead, as you can freeze it for months.
Refrigerator: Transfer the orecchiette to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Arrange them on a single layer without overlapping. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and store in the fridge for up to 36 hours.
You can let them dry for 12 hours on a baking tray covered with a kitchen cloth, then transfer them to a jar and store them for a week or two.
Freezer: Transfer the orecchiette to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Make sure the tray fits in your freezer. Arrange the orecchiette on a single layer, then freeze for 2 hours.
To save space in the freezer, transfer the frozen orecchiette to a freezer-friendly bag and put it back in for three months.
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