One of my favorite pasta dishes is one that created on a particularly lazy “let’s hang out and not go to the store” night. My friend Kelly and I were having a slumber party and the menu was based on the ingredients that we had that desperately needed to be cooked. The original for this dish was created and now it part of my kitchen arsenal for something easy, satisfying and versatile. I also call this the “best pasta ever” in a previous post – a good indicator of how much I love it. I have decided to officially call it “Little Ears” because I always use Orecchiette, which means “small ear” in Italian. You can add as much or as little to this as you want. The original version had only shallot-white wine sauce as a base, fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and basil and it was incredible. This version strays from the original but still boasts the basic ingredients.

Two tips – actually more like two very, very strong suggestions: 1) Use Rustichella d’abruzzo Orecchiette. This is the BEST brand that I have found and this dish really is not the same with other brands. Trust me, I learned the hard way. The Whole Wheat kind of this brand is absolutely incredible – though now I have to special order it as Whole Foods now only sells regular Orecchiette and Central Market sells the brand but not the type at all. 2) You will want to cook the pasta until just under al dente, strain and the allow to finish cooking in the sauce so that the pasta absorbs all that yummy flavor. These are both good tips for any pasta dish that you make in the future =)

Little Ears, about 3 servings

One Half to Two-thirds box of Rustichella d’abruzzo Orecchiette
One pint cherry tomatoes, halved and seeded
Small amount of shredded Pecorino Romano cheese for serving
One cup of Shredded Cheese (half Mozzarella, half smoked Provolone)
Two cups Baby Spinach
One Zucchini, quartered
1 cup chopped fresh basil
Fresh ground pepper
Salt to taste, plus ample salt for pasta water
One Shallot White Wine Sauce Recipe
1/4 Cup Starchy Pasta Water

Boil salted water and cook pasta to instructions, under-cooking by two or three minutes. When straining, reserve some pasta water to add to sauce.

Begin making shallot white wine sauce (make enough for the amount of sauce that you want). Add Zucchini at the stage when the shallots and garlic become glassy. Saute for a minute or so before adding liquid. Reduce liquid, then halved tomatoes and cook until the skins loosen and tomatoes lose their shape slightly, if you have not already (and you need more sauce) add the pasta water. Add spinach and allow to wilt just slightly. Put  Combine with pasta and allow to cook a few more minutes. Add half of the basil, salt to taste, add pepper and cheese and stir gently but well. Garnish with remaining basil and some shaved Parmesan or Pecorino and serve. This is an excellent side for your favorite baked fish or chicken or with Andi’s Favorite Chicken. It is also a great way to use up leftover chicken – you can shred it and throw it in the pasta or serve it alongside!

I literally eat this with my hands for breakfast the next day! Enjoy!