orecchiette

British

/ ˌɒrəkɪˈɛtɪ /

plural noun

small ear-shaped pasta pieces

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of orecchiette

C21: from Italian, literally: little ears

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I whipped up some orecchiette al pomodoro, using grano arso pasta the color of concrete, in my guest apartment in under 20 minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

Meanwhile, bring pasta water to a boil, and cook the orecchiette until it’s al dente.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 9, 2024

The resulting strips of deep fried chicken on my plate of orecchiette pasta certainly tasted like the real deal, if a bit processed.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2023

A few threads of saffron were simmered in milk, which then was mixed with salty ricotta for a rich, no-cook sauce to coat ear-shaped orecchiette.

From Washington Times • Apr. 6, 2023

When picking out pasta shells, do not reach for orecchiette or Velveeta-type shells, as stuffing them with ricotta would require a Herculean effort.

From Salon • Nov. 6, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023