Orecchiette Pasta With Pancetta And Radicchio

Orecchiette pasta with pancetta, garlic, and radicchio. This delicious, 10 minute pasta recipe is so simple, light and perfect for Summer. The sauce is made while the pasta is boiling so it's incredibly easy, fuss-free and full of flavour.

Because we all need quick, weeknight dinners!

I lovee me some quick pasta. I am literally obsessed with pasta so when I want something quick, delicious and fast pasta is the first thing to pop into my head the majority of the time.

I also love how versatile pasta is and how drastically different one dish to the other can be. Take my White truffle cacio e pepe and my Broccoli pasta with chilli, garlic and parmesan for example. Both completely delicious FAST but totally different in flavours and textures!

Cooking with usual pasta shapes is so much fun and it's a great way to spruce up simple pasta dishes. For this quick weeknight meal I chose orecchiette pasta with pancetta, garlic and radicchio.

What Is Orecchiette Pasta?

Orecchiette are small, round pasta shapes from Puglia in southern Italy. It translates as little ears and is traditionally made by pressing your thumb into the pasta to create the ear shape. I dunno about you but I prefer not to look at my bowl of pasta as little ears covered in sauce (just a little creepy).

Instead, I look down at the cute little shapes and think how pretty this dish is with the bright purple radicchio.

How To Make Orecchiette Pasta With Pancetta And Radicchio - Step By Step

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the orecchiette pasta according to packet instructions until al dente.

Tip: I use dried orecchiette pasta because it takes longer to cook and gives me time to make the sauce. If you are using fresh pasta (bought refrigerated in the supermarket) it will cook much faster so add it when the sauce is almost done.

Add the pancetta to a large pan and fry until it's just starting to brown. Finely slice the garlic cloves and add them to the pancetta, fry until the garlic is just beginning to turn golden (photo 1-2).

Add the stock and simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes until it has reduced slightly. Once the pasta is ready, drain and add it to the sauce (photos 3-4).

Add the chopped radicchio and parmesan and mix through then serve (photos 5-6).

P.S Make sure you don't add the radicchio too soon into the pasta as it loses it's lovely vibrant purple colour and turns brown when cooked.

Variations - Other Ways To Serve Orecchiette Pasta

• Substitute the radicchio with baby spinach.
• Peas added to the pasta would add extra freshness
• You can substitute the orecchiette or any short pasta shape
• Add some fresh chilli or red pepper flakes for a spicy kick
• Try adding fresh herbs such as parsley or basil
• Lemon zest would add a nice zing

Quick Pasta Recipes You Might like;

• Smoked salmon carbonara
• Pasta Amatriciana - Bucatini, Tomato and Guanciale
• Pasta with artichokes and peas
• Creamy butternut squash pasta
• Sun dried tomato pasta with roasted red pepper
• Broccoli pasta with chilli, garlic and parmesan

And that's it, so simple and easy. If you don't like radicchio because of it's bitter flavour then you can find some suggestions above to replace it and other variations you could make to the pasta. This kind of meal is so versatile and is meant to be adapted with your favourite flavours, veggies, herbs and spices. Enjoy!

If you've tried this orecchiette pasta with pancetta and radicchio or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I'm getting up to.

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5 from 3 votes

Orecchiette Pasta with Pancetta and Radicchio

Orecchiette pasta with pancetta, garlic, and radicchio. This delicious, 10 minute pasta recipe is so simple, light and perfect for Summer. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 436kcal

Author Emily Kemp

Ingredients

• ▢ 12 oz (350g) orecchiette pasta
• ▢ ½ small radicchio roughly chopped
• ▢ ½ cup (120ml) chicken stock
• ▢ 3.5 oz (100g) smoked pancetta cubed
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon parmesan freshly grated
• ▢ salt and pepper to season
• ▢ olive oil if needed

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orecchiette pasta according to packet instructions until al dente.
• Add the pancetta to a large pan and fry until it's just starting to brown, there should be enough fat in the pancetta but if needed add a little drizzle of olive oil to the pan. 
• Finely slice the garlic cloves and add them to the pancetta, fry until the garlic is just beginning to turn golden
• Add the stock and simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes until it has reduced slightly. Once the pasta is ready, drain and add it to the sauce
• Add the chopped radicchio, parmesan and a pinch of salt and pepper and mix through. Serve.

Notes

• I use dried orecchiette pasta because it takes longer to cook and gives me time to make the sauce. If you are using fresh pasta (bought refrigerated in the supermarket) it will cook much faster so add it when the sauce is almost done.
• Make sure you don't add the radicchio too soon into the pasta as it loses it's lovely vibrant purple colour and turns brown when cooked.

Variations - Other Ways To Serve Orecchiette Pasta

• Substitute the radicchio with baby spinach.
• Peas added to the pasta would add extra freshness
• You can substitute the orecchiette or any short pasta shape
• Add some fresh chilli or red pepper flakes for a spicy kick
• Try adding fresh herbs such as parsley or basil
• Lemon zest would add a nice zing

Nutrition Facts

Orecchiette Pasta with Pancetta and Radicchio

Amount Per Serving

Calories 436 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g17%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 18mg6%

Sodium 231mg10%

Potassium 269mg8%

Carbohydrates 65g22%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 15g30%

Vitamin C 0.5mg1%

Calcium 35mg4%

Iron 1.3mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 436kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 231mg | Potassium: 269mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1.3mg

Helpful Info for All Recipes

• I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
• When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
• All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
• All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
• Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
• Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
• You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.

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