Rich and comforting, this orecchiette with pork ragu is layered with lots of flavor and texture from the diced eggplant, herbs, garlic and red wine—it's everything one craves in a delicious bowl of homemade pasta!
Orecchiette with Pork Ragu, “Little Ears” of Deliciousness
Nothing is more precious to me when it comes to food than when a dish is both whimsical and divinely scrumptious. It simply makes the dining experience that much more playful and enjoyable!
And this orecchiette with pork ragu is just such an exquisite dish.
Orecchiette means “little ears” in Italian, and this fun little variety of pasta indeed looks just like little ears, perfectly shaped to hold little bits of pork and eggplant from the savory pork ragu, along with the glossy and rich sauce.
Orecchiette and hearty pork ragu are a match made in heaven. This rich combination makes for the perfect bowl of spoonable comfort, and an irresistibly meaty and hearty pasta extravaganza!
A Rich Pork Ragu to Go with Tender Orecchiette
One of my favorite things to cook and eat is a nice, rich meaty ragu served over top of tender pasta with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and some freshly grated cheese.
This is pretty much the epitome of “comfort food” for me.
And what I love about a dish like this is that it's basically a one-pan preparation that requires only a bit of patience from me before I'm partaking in a gloriously flavorful and pleasurable meal.
I love to make my pork ragu fairly substantial, filled with lots of complex layers and textures. So I opt to prepare it with the addition of diced and caramelized eggplant, a hefty amount of garlic and onion, a generous pinch of seasoning and spice, and even some red wine.
This delicious concoction simmers together for about 40 minutes to allow those deep and nuanced flavors to marry before the tender and delicate orecchiette pasta is added directly into the pan, becoming slathered in all of that glossy richness.
The pork ragu lends some heartiness, and the orecchiette adds that tender-yet-toothsome bite; and together, this wonderful combination is then best served up in a bowl and eaten with a spoon, which makes it so rustic and cozy!
How to Make Orecchiette with Pork Ragu
In order to create the most flavor possible, I like to use ground pork and season it myself.
I then build the ragu layer by layer in the pan, giving it some time for the flavors to mingle and deepen before adding my cooked orecchiette pasta in at the end.
Here's a glance at my orecchiette pasta:
- I mix together my ground pork with some salt, pepper, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, garlic and dried oregano, and set aside for a moment.
- With a heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat, I add in some olive oil, and sauté my diced eggplant and onions.
- When caramelized and golden, I remove the veggies from the pan and hold them on a plate while I brown my seasoned ground pork for a few minutes in the pan I just used.
- Then, I add back into the pan the eggplant and onion mixture, along with garlic and then wine, followed by the diced tomatoes (with their juice).
- I leave my lid slightly askew and allow the ragu to simmer for about 45 minutes until rich and thickened.
- Next, while the ragu is cooking, I cook my orecchiette until al dente, and keep it warm.
- To finish things up, I add fresh herbs to my pork ragu, and then add in the cooked orecchiette pasta, and fold together. I drizzle over a touch more olive oil, spoon into my bowl, and garnish with grated asiago cheese.
(The full recipe is below...)
Tips & Tidbits for Orecchiette with Pork Ragu:
- Ground pork: I use ground pork for this recipe, and season it myself; however, you can substitute spicy pork sausage as well (just remove it from the casing). You can also substitute ground beef, turkey, or chicken, if you prefer.
- Wine for depth: The addition of red wine in this pork ragu is delicious, but feel free to leave it out if you prefer.
- Time to simmer: Allowing the pork ragu to simmer for 45 minutes creates a bit more body and depth to the sauce, and allows the eggplant to sort of melt into it. Patience creates more flavor! 😉
- Cooking the orecchiette pasta: Because of the shape of the orecchiette, they tend to stick to each other a little bit when cooking. I like to add a good drizzle of olive oil into my salted water for the cooking of it, and stir the pasta well right after pouring it into the boiling water (as well as occasionally during the cooking process).
Feast your eyes on these, or just jump to the recipe:
Recipe
Orecchiette with Pork Ragu
by Ingrid Beer
Category: Entree
Cuisine: Italian-American
Yield: Serves 4
Nutrition Info: 527 calories
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Ingredients:
• ½ pound ground pork
• Salt
• Black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly toasted and crushed
• ¼ teaspoon (more or less depending on taste) red pepper flakes
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press, divided use
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• Olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 very small (Italian) eggplants, diced into small ½” cubes
• ⅓ cup red wine
• 1 (28 ounce / 794 gram) can San Marzano diced tomatoes
• 8 ounces orecchiette pasta (about half a package)
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 cup grated asiago cheese, for garnish
-In a medium-size bowl, add the ground pork, about ¼ teaspoon of salt, about ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, the fennel seeds, the red pepper flakes, 1 clove of the pressed garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of the dry oregano, and mix well with fingers to combine; set aside.
-Place a heavy-bottom braiser or large pan over medium-high heat, and add about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to it; once the oil is hot, add in the onion and the eggplant, and sauté/caramelize for about 6 minutes until a light golden color; once caramelized, remove the eggplant/onion mixture with a slotted spoon, and set aside for a moment.
-Next, add another little drizzle of olive oil to the pan, followed by little chunks of the ground seasoned pork, sort of “crumbling” them in (you want to keep the meat slightly chunky and not have it completely “melt” into the sauce).
-Sauté the pork in the oil, gently moving it with a spoon to brown for about 4-5 minutes; then, add the eggplant/onion mixture back into the pan with the pork, adding another pinch of salt and black pepper, as well as the remaining 3 cloves of pressed garlic.
-Stir the mixture together gently, and then add the wine in, scraping up the good, browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
-Add in the diced San Marzano tomatoes and the remaining dried oregano and stir; place the lid slightly askew on the braiser/pan, and simmer on low for 45 minutes until thickened.
-During the last 20 minutes or so that the ragu cooks, cook the orecchiette according to package instructions; once cooked, drain the pasta, and drizzle with some olive oil to keep it from sticking; leave it in the colander covered with a kitchen towel to keep warm until the sauce is finished.
-Once the ragu has simmered, turn the heat off, and add the chopped fresh oregano and parsley, and stir to combine.
-Add the cooked pasta directly into the sauce and stir to combine, then serve in bowls garnished with a generous amount of the grated asiago cheese.
Hungry for more pasta recipes? Check out this recipe for Italian “Drunken” Noodles, this Bucatini Pasta with Garlic-Butter Sauce, and this Cajun Shrimp Pasta!
Cook's Note: This post was originally published in 2012, and has been updated with even more love!
Nicole Waterman
This looks delicious, amazing pictures too.
Isabelle @ Crumb
This looks like a wonderful meal for an otherwise crummy day.
I normally rely on a big bowl of soup to make me feel better whenever I'm under the weather, but this pasta looks like it would be a pretty great alternative... especially if it's extra-spicy to clear the sinuses. 🙂
Julia
This pasta dish looks so good! It has been rainy here in Chicago and a big bowl of this is just what I need!
The Cozy Apron
Thanks, Julia! This truly is such a comforting dish, and perfect for cold, rainy Chicago weather; I promise you that your belly would thank you if you gave this one a try.
Sylvia
I couldn’t find Italian eggplant but found Chinese eggplant and it worked great! My dish required more seasoning though. I had to add much more salt, pepper, oregano and chili flakes. I was nervous about the eggplant but it took on the other flavors and gave the ragú a nice richness. It blends in and you don’t realize it’s there. That’s a good thing since I was afraid it would stick out. It was a hit with the family. Thanks!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Sylvia, happy you and your family enjoyed! Yes, that eggplant deliciously melts into the sauce, so even pickier eaters may not really notice it and just enjoy a nice, rich sauce brimming with flavor.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Lauren
I'm not a pasta fan (it just doesn't do anything for me) so I made the ragu and served over slides of pan fried summer squash. This was also a way to enjoy this hearty meal whilst still experiencing 90 degree weather in Tucson (btw, I think the ragu would be excellent cold). I did not have a chance to go to the market to buy the smaller Italian eggplant, so I used a large eggplant - which I think was somewhat of a mistake texture-wise (not bad, but it wasn't great), and next time I make this, I'll make sure to have the smaller eggplant. I happened to have some fennel microgreens from my CSA that I sprinkled on top - that was really nice!
And the pork was great! I think I missed the starchy sweetness of the pasta, though, so with the leftovers I'm going to try serving over roasted butternut squash or potatoes (I have a MOUND sitting on my counter from my CSA). Thanks for the recipe, I'll look forward to making it again in the future!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Lauren, looks like you found an excellent way to enjoy this dish specific to your likes — thanks for sharing!
Cookingcutie11
This was really good and rustic. I used sweet sausage instead of the ground pork, and added extra dried oregano and thyme. The eggplant paired nicely with the sausage. Yum!
The Cozy Apron
Sounds delicious! Thank you so much for coming back to share your take on the recipe - glad you enjoyed it!
Amy Cardinal
Do you think this would be ok with a regular large eggplant chopped up the same size? I'm not a huge eggplant person but got one in my food co-op and wanted to find a use.
The Cozy Apron
Hi Amy! Yes, definitely use whatever eggplant you have available to you, chopping it up into the small pieces as you said. And even though you're not necessarily an "eggplant person", I think you'll enjoy this dish with the combo of ingredients as the eggplant cooks down nicely into the ragu. Thanks for stopping by!
Becky Stock
Happy 4th of July! Since ours was a wet one and couldn't grill out, I chose your pasta dish and so glad I did. It was delicious! I had mild Italian sausage links which I took out of their casings and used a large eggplant and both worked fine in your recipe. I will be making this again for sure.
The Cozy Apron
Excellent, Becky! Sorry for the wet weather on your 4th of July; but it sounds like you had a cozy meal in spite of it, and I'm thrilled that this dish is something that you'll be cooking up again!
Linda Keirle
Just prepared this luscious dish but doubled the recipe. Smells divine and can't wait to eat it! Thanks Ingrid!
The Cozy Apron
Linda, that's great! I truly hope you did enjoy this, indeed; thank you so much for stopping by to share!
Linda Keirle
Ingrid, you made me a star! My granddaughter said I should open a restaurant! This dish was fantastic and I can't wait to eat it again. Thanks again, Ingrid.
The Cozy Apron
Linda, I was really hoping that you'd come back to share with me the end results of your time in the kitchen preparing this recipe! Oh, I'm so happy—what a wonderful thing to have your granddaughter say to you, and what a wonderful grandma you are for preparing, certainly with much love, this comfy and warming meal. Thank you for letting me know—I truly appreciate it!
Sharon Pike
I made this last night and oh my goodness it was crazy good! The flavors are perfect! I am so glad I didn't substitute italian sasauge, the little pork bites are perfectly seasoned! I did however substitute regular eggplant, it's what I had....I thought it worked fine.....
The Cozy Apron
Sharon, that's so great! Thanks so much for taking a moment to comment on your experience!
Charity
Hey there! I am newer to cooking and find myself very drawn to this recipe. I have a couple questions though.
1) Is it doable for a newer cook?
2) Is there a way to make it mild for a sensitive stomach?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Charity! I'm very excited for you, and want to give you a resounding "yes!" when it comes to your first question. Just go slow, and follow the instructions—you'll be just fine! Remember: it's only cooking. 🙂 (And you especially should prepare this if you're feeling "drawn" to it, as you put it! I think you'll be glad you did.) As far as your second question, just leave out the red chili paper flakes completely, if you're sensitive. There's nothing else spicy in the ingredients, so you should be fine. Please let me know how things turn out! Hope you enjoy...
Dianne
I was going to make spicy pork and eggplant stir-fry but I just wasn't in the mood for the spicy, sweetish, peanutty sauce that I usually make. So, I looked around online for something different using the key ingredients that I had on hand.
Voila! My google-fu led me here. This was delicious! I had some produce that I wanted to use up before going away for a long weekend so instead of the chopped onion, I used a leek and a small bunch of green onions that I had on hand. I also used two regular eggplants that I had.
It was a wonderfully tasty meal. Thanks!
The Cozy Apron
Dianne, so glad you decided to honor your cravings (or in this case, honor what you weren't craving) and take the time to find this (new) recipe! So glad you enjoyed it. And a really perfect opportunity to use up some of those items that you already had. Thanks for sharing with me!
LovelyMadness
Made this tonight, but did not have the little ears so served over angel hair. SO good. Leftovers will be used on pizza this week. Found you on Pinterest. Thank you so much for this, I have eggplants from the garden and this was just what we needed. Hubs had seconds.
The Cozy Apron
Hi there! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, and that you've even got some leftovers for pizza! Thanks so much for your comments—the eggplants fresh from your garden must be amazing!
Christine
Hi there! When do you add the fennel seeds?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Christine! Oh my goodness, sorry about that omission! You'd add it along with the black pepper, red pepper flakes and other seasoning in the first step. Thank you, we'll correct that.
Michelle
Writing on July 4, 2017! It is a rainy afternoon here in Japan and I am craving comfort food. I've been enjoying eggplant a lot recently so I googled "pork eggplant ragu" and happened upon your site. The ragu is simmering along nicely. I added a few olives and eringi muchroom slices and only had half a can of frozen tomatoes so I added some fresh to make up the portion, but otherwise followed the instructions as written. Looking forward to my meal. The apartment smells great! Thank you very much.
The Cozy Apron
Hi Michelle, wow! All the way from Japan! Thank you for your comments, and I'm really glad you stumbled upon my recipe; I hope it turned out delicious for you, and that you found some comfort in it, indeed.
Ann
This looks great!! How many cups of eggplant approx. should I use? I have two larger ones
The Cozy Apron
Hi Ann!
Because I used quantity of eggplants rather than cups, it's hard for me to say exactly; but I would "guesstimate" you should be good at about 4 cups 1/2"-diced eggplant. It will cook down. 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Jessica
This was really good. I followed the recipe exactly, except I didn’t have fresh oregano to finish. We will definitely be making this one again. Thank you so much for reposting this recipe. I must have missed it when it was first posted.
The Cozy Apron
Jessica, I'm so glad you all enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with me.