Baked Gratinate Orecchiette

Here’s the recipe for baked gratinate orecchiette, an oven-baked version of this classic Apulian dish that gets a delicious golden crispy crust. Let’s see together what’s needed and how to prepare them.

Ingredients

• 400 g orecchiette (dry durum wheat pasta)
• 300 g of turnip greens or broccoli
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Chili flakes to taste
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 150 g of pancetta or guanciale (for a non-typically Apulian variant)
• 200 g of mozzarella or scamorza cheese, diced
• 100 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
2. Clean and wash the turnip greens or broccoli and cut them into small pieces.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil to cook the orecchiette. Add the orecchiette and cook according to the package instructions but stop 2 minutes before the indicated time, because they will finish cooking in the oven.
4. While the pasta is cooking, put the oil in a large pan and sauté the garlic and chili. Add the pancetta or guanciale and let it cook until it becomes crispy.
5. Add the turnip greens or broccoli to the same pan and cook until they are tender.
6. When the orecchiette are al dente, drain them while preserving some of the cooking water.
7. Pour the orecchiette into the pan with the sauce, add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and mix well. If the pasta looks dry, add a little bit of the reserved cooking water.
8. Transfer the pasta to a baking dish, sprinkle with mozzarella or scamorza cheese, and a generous amount of Parmesan cheese.
9. Bake and let gratinate for about 10-15 minutes or until a golden and crispy crust forms.
10. Serve the baked gratinate orecchiette hot.

Baked gratinate orecchiette is a tasty variation and a “richer” version compared to the traditional dish with turnip greens. Perfect for a dinner with friends or a family Sunday!