Pasta alla checca, the easiest of all Roman pastas.

This is one of our family's favorite pasta recipes from Guiliano Hazan's The Classic Pasta Cookbook. It takes about 20 minutes and all you have to do is use fresh tomatoes and other ingredients. The sauce is uncooked save for scalding the tomatoes and herbs in hot olive oil.
📃 RECIPE Link: www.ethanchlebowski.com/cooki...
🌳 Join our Cooking Community: community.ethanchlebowski.com/
📚 Videos & Sources mentioned:
▪ Original Pasta alla Checca from Guiliano Hazan: giulianohazan.com/uncooked-sa...
Biang Biang Noodles: • The Hand Ripped Noodle...
🎵 Music by Epidemic Sound (free 30-day trial - Affiliate): share.epidemicsound.com/33cnNZ
---
CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL
📸 Instagram: / echleb
🎚 TikTok: / ethanchlebowski
🐣 Twitter: / ethanchleb
---
USEFUL KITCHEN GEAR
🌡Thermapen Thermometer: alnk.to/6bSXCCG
🥌 Budget Whetstone for sharpening: geni.us/1k6kComboWhetstone
🧂 Salt Pig: geni.us/SaltContainer
⚖ Scale: geni.us/FoodScale
🍴 Budget 8-inch Chef's knife: geni.us/BudgetChefKnife
🔪 Nicer 8-inch Chef Knife: geni.us/TojiroChefKnife
🧲 Magnetic Knife Rack: geni.us/MagneticKnifeRack
🥘 Cast iron griddle: geni.us/TheCastIronGriddle
📄 Baking Sheet: geni.us/NordicBakingSheet
🛒 Wire Rack: geni.us/WireRack
🍳 Saucepan: geni.us/Saucepan
🪓 Woodcutting board: geni.us/SolidWoodCuttingBoard
---
0:00 What is Pasta alla Checca?
0:39 Step by step process
---
MISC. DETAILS
Music: Provided by Epidemic Sound
Filmed on: Sony a6600 & Sony A6400 w/ Sony 30mm f3.5 & 18-105mm F4
Voice recorded on Shure MV7
Edited in: Premiere Pro
Affiliate Disclosure:
Ethan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to [Amazon.com](amazon.com/) and affiliated sites.

[@mohaksrivastava8541]

You have nailed the "kinda healthy..but godly tasting" genre. Absloutely loving the content!

[@EthanChlebowski]

I think that sums up the vibe for most of the videos quite well :)

[@WombatGamesChannel]

@@EthanChlebowski and pickled onions

[@AxxLAfriku]

@@EthanChlebowski Me the ALPHA M*LE of this comment section and me command RESPECT. Right now me telling you to NOT observe any of me nice cool sweet videos. Instead just look at me awesome good powerful thumbnails. Thank you, dear eta

[@mayville1717]

@@EthanChlebowski Can you mince some garlic and pour the oil over that as well?

[@EthanChlebowski]

@@mayville1717 100% would recommend.

[@vrzM8]

I like the silence that gave us a moment to contemplate the mind blowing genius of that deli lid trick

[@keenshu5481]

Regards from Kenji ;)

[@zachpw]

@@keenshu5481 I think Rachel Ray popularized it back in the day

[@genderlich]

Me: are you adding the- Ethan: the starchy and salty pasta water? yeah, I am

[@78ABates]

I love the simplicity of this dish with quality ingredients. It's a good reminder, because when you look out at your tomatoes ripening you sometimes get overwhelmed and forget that they're usually best served in a quick and delish way like this. Thank you Ethan.

[@EthanChlebowski]

Exactly, let those tomatoes shine.

[@shhhh6174]

This is one of my most favorite dishes. I cook this about three times a week usually after breakfast, its a great quick easy anytime dish. You really cant go wrong with fresh tomatoes, and herbs and pasta. If you have leftovers, pour a beaten egg over the top and put it in the oven for a sick brunch pasta fritatta 😍

[@jvallas]

Ooh, yum!

[@RubenAvila]

how hot and how long?

[@monkeydude9192]

Could also place the tomatoes into a colander for salting so that the moisture that gets drawn out just drains away instead of having to pour it out later. I'd hazard a guess that it might be better/more efficient at discarding the "excess" moisture as well.

[@niktheorginal]

I think he was going for minimal cleaning, thats why everything happens in the serving bowl, but yeah you could "strain" the tomatos.

[@monkeydude9192]

@@niktheorginal I figured that was probably what he was going for, but felt like throwing it out there for those who don’t mind the extra clean up

[@MsDogMom]

Def my style too!

[@FilipBorowski.]

A colander? Haiyaaa

[@gabrieleporru4443]

Ethan, hahah just a curiosity since I'm italian, I thought it may interest you: it's pronounced "kekka" while "cecca" is pronounced "chekka" In Italian the c is soft before e and i (similar letters after all) and _if there is an h_ it's actually an hard sound While the other letters a, o and u are hard normally and soft _if a i or an e_ is added after We don't use the h to soften, like in Spanish, French or Portuguese, only to harden That's a common thing also in Sardinian and other languages closer to Latin native region, although Sardinian is not in the same family as Italian I speak Sardinian too, and I'm Sardinian (not like anybody else speaks it pretty much). It's pretty similar to Latin, minus the grammatical cases and different latin structures

[@MichelleObamasBBC]

Sardinian does actually come under the same family as Italian. They are sister languages that are mutually intelligible to a large extent. I hope Sardinian makes it through this century! Beautiful language.

[@gabrieleporru4443]

@@MichelleObamasBBC Actually no, the intellibility is very pretty low, and much of the lexicon is different, at least from modern Italian. Sardinian is thought to be pretty similar to extinct Latin languages in North Africa and the original Corsican language (before the heavy Pisan and, only _then_ Genoese influence), due to extensive contact, and by some catalogation is put into a "Southern Romance" group, by others into a "Insular Romance" group. The point though, for many of these analysis, is that it is _detached_ from basically all the rest of Romance, having developed on the Island, or on it an nearbies, and has a quite LONG history of development, with differences between latin and Sardinian beginning at probably Late antiquity, even though it remained the closest language to Latin. And linguistical influences came much more from Tunisian and Algerian priests who educated the Barbaricine (Barbagia inhabitants) than from Italy. (I must say also it got like 14 words from italian and more than half is only in northern dialects, you know Logudorese, while Spanish and Catalan got some 150 words). So it's like the first copy of Latin, the test sheet. And, you know, Sardinian is still spoken in Sardinia; it's not taught, but there is still a good amount of reserve, and at least the language from the Italian Unification is written more and more and today we have good amounts of written works in Sardinian, and counting. We hope too, and I personally think that, even though with progress and conservation languages survive in a much broader sense than being only spoken, it can survive this century as a spoken language, maybe like Irish will do! Gratziasa de is comprimentus de s'agurius e speru ca m'arrespundeis cun praxeri de chistionai

[@MichelleObamasBBC]

@@gabrieleporru4443 How I wish the extinct north african latin languages still existed! I would like to ask you if Sardinian and Corsican are intelligible?

[@MichelleObamasBBC]

@@gabrieleporru4443 *MAJOR CORRECTION* I said Italian and Sardinian are mutually intelligible to a large extent. What I meant was the dialect of Vulgar Latin that eventually developed into Italian, old Italian, are similar to Sardinian. Sorry, English is not my first language.

[@veronicataylor9831]

Thank you for this comment because I was wondering about the pronunciation!! I am learning Italian and am struggling a bit with the k vs ch sounds = so your simple explanation is really helpful.

[@jack7cdusm7]

Hey Ethan, italian fan here, great recipe. lil italian tip: the "che" in checca is not pronounced as the "che" in "check", but rather like you'd pronounce the first half of "cake" keep up the good work! cheers from italy

[@DaMorg3]

@jack7cdusm7 So is it correctly pronounced (phonetically) “Pasta alla Kay-kah” with maybe a slightly softer hard A sound in the first syllable than “Kay” would otherwise suggest?

[@saddislocation9291]

@@DaMorg3 A "ch" sound is pronounced more like you pronounce "k", like "chi" is pronounced like the "ki" in kit while "che" like the "ke" in kettle

[@vespasiancloscan7077]

@@DaMorg3 uh, I guess? Point is to just avoid using diphthongs. Keep the "a" sound in Kay, drop the y.

[@rongrantga]

We have an Italian restaurant chain in Atlanta called Figo. I watched one of the owners make a dish similar to this by heating the olive oil in a pan then adding sliced garlic. Toasted it slightly then added chopped fresh tomatoes, flipped it a couple of times, then added cubed fresh moz and fresh cut basil, tossed that a couple of times, pinch of salt and pepper, then added the spaghetti and stirred then plated. Wonderful summer dish! He pronounced it "cake-a".

[@ChipMautz]

Figo = Amazing. First place I ever had bread and oil appetizer... miss that place! (Moved 90mi south)

[@watchinvids155]

This is what I needed last week! I had a trip to the farmers market and got some wonderful heirloom tomatoes and some basil and oregano. And I just could not think of how to make it. Bruschetta worked, but this would have been phenomenal.

[@kiwitang9663]

The fact you make it so easy and simple,AND give us the history behind the dish, is the reason I subscribe.thank you

[@vladimirtsarapkin2840]

Tried it myself. Best pasta I have ever made. Thank you, you channel is a real treasure!

[@kingrin7926]

Been doing this one a few times now and I really gotta thank you for introducing it to us. Me and my mom absolutely love it!

[@ElF0nz0]

That tip for cutting cherry tomatoes blew my mind

[@anhibitor1023]

I just tried this today and it was mind blowingly awesome

[@adawoo5494]

I've always enjoyed the "pour oil over it" technique. There's an especially good recipe in Zahav where it's used for dairy-free potato salad, infusing the oil with garlic, as an example from another region.

[@runakovacs4759]

"Pour oil over it" scares the beejesus out of me :/. I need some container with a beak for doing that with oil.

[@NoshNosher]

@@runakovacs4759 do you usually keep your legs or fingers/feet/any bodypart right under the container youre using to pour?

[@runakovacs4759]

@@NoshNosher Well, I hold the container with one hand so there is that. Ideally I like to hold the container I'm pouring into too to ensure proper aim and if slender, avoid it tipping over.

[@swantonist]

my favorite pasta ever. thanks for this.

[@anhibitor1023]

Looks amazing. Thanks for sharing Ethan!

[@TMDEdits]

Just made this dish tonight (currently eating it) and it is fantastic! The flavor is bursting through each bite! I used goat cheese instead of the mozzarella, and a jalapeno instead of the calabrian chili (these were what we had on-hand).

[@jturner1774]

The tomato slicing tip - simple, but so timesaving. Thank you Ethan!

[@Emillly3]

I have never seen this dish before! Wow so fresh and delicious looking, and I don’t even like fresh tomatoes!

[@FirstLast-yq9wl]

Great timing, got all the ingredients! Will try this today/tomorrow.

[@Michael-ll6px]

Its been a bit since I've stopped by on the channel. This is something that I absolutely will be making soon!

[@rlwalker2]

THAT looks wonderful. I'll give it a go.

[@TobiasELee]

genius move with the lid cut. delish recipe. thanks!

[@zachs2581]

Love the videos, just made this and wow! Tastes great and was easy to make.

[@jbrickman6403]

Looks great, and what an easy method used to cut cherry tomatoes too . Definitely trying this all out

[@Julie_Rios]

Oh this looks delicious! Yummy.

[@MoselleGreen]

That thing about how to slice a lot of cherry tomatoes at once is excellent! Thank you!

[@Feverdream7777]

your two lid slicing trick is the best thing of 2021

[@TheSlavChef]

Oh yeah, another great and easy thing. Thanks comrade!

[@lalalabad]

awesome dish, made it today as i had some fresh tomatoes. thx for the idea

[@TheArabFoodist]

This looks so delicious and simple that i might give it a try 😋 Great video man

[@SuperOmarMansour]

Take a shot each time Ethan says "everyone should try/know how to make" in the title

[@MrTmbg]

That looks so delicious

[@scottybassman]

Great video! BTW in Italian a ch+e and c+a in are both pronounced like a K in English. Awesome looking dish with all those beautiful tomatoes.

[@mattgreen753]

That deli container lid tomato trick was fantastic

[@daviddu6297]

interesting to see the similarity between italian and chinese cuisine. great video as always!

[@chukyuniqul]

Well there's my dinner for tonight, thanks Ethan!

[@BillyTheClipp]

Ethan, You my friend maked my life so much better, easier and simpler in some ways and I need to tkank you for that! :3

[@elizabethingram9784]

I really like the way you cook! :)

[@Zuhausekochen]

Super! Vielen Dank!

[@MarkFaldborg]

That tomato slicing tip is amazing. Thanks.

[@MarkFaldborg]

I have been watching Van Neistat lately and you, Ethan, strike me as a spirited man. Thanks for the content.

[@billyblastoff7027]

Outstanding

[@UltraBot49er]

That looks bomb.

[@alexlackner1945]

That cherry tomato slicing trick is pretty nifty! Never heard of this Pasta but it looks deliciouS

[@Suarez05]

Hey Ethan, you earned yourself a new suscriber.

[@unhinged9720]

NOTHING BEATS THE SIMPLEST PASTA + SAUCE DISHES.

[@noob19087]

Didn't know you could do the pouring hot oil technique with herbs, I thought for sure that they would burn. But what a creative recipe, I'll absolutely make this once the tomato season comes around.

[@meh-87]

About to make this right now. The tomatoes and basil from the local farm stand smell and look amazing.

[@meh-87]

Wow, that was better than expected. The oil on the herbs and tomatoes is like magic.

[@mira.r]

it looks so tasty!!

[@EthanChlebowski]

One of the freshest pastas, perfect for a summer day.

[@0585ccook]

This looks amazing! Pasta is life😄 I think having an herb garden at home has definitely made my life easier bc I can just throw something together, add fresh herbs and eat.

[@drerp.]

obviously I learn about this recepie when I used up all cherry tomatoes from the gardet to make sun driedtomatoes. nevermind at least I know what dish I'll use the next harvest of tomatoes. thanks for letting me know this awsome recepie exist!

[@FoodLovesCompany]

Great dish and love the freshness of it all. But, you are right, you definitely need a bigger pan or pot to really marry the sauce and pasta together. Mantecatura or Mantecare is what the technique is called.

[@JaqenHghar.]

Thanks for ending on the hot oil sizzling over the tomatoes lol that was my favorite part of the video :)

[@dereinzigwahreRichi]

This looks like it be really nice with some shrimps you could throw in that hot oil just before pouring it over. Actually I did similar combinations as a one pot pasta with the tomatoes and herbs added when the dish was almost done... But I'd add the cheese earlier, also in your dish, Ethan. I love it when it's more molten. :-)

[@haresmahmood]

Just. Gorgeous.

[@denisalmeida1221]

Wow thanks for the tomato tip!

[@danielvalverde4955]

Tangenially related but a tip that I love is adding blended raw tomatoes to a cooked pasta sauce. Adds the BEST tang.

[@keoringor6279]

Dear god....the grape tomato cutting trick. Genius!

[@leonkennedy4189]

Bello!

[@keithbaine]

dude!! i came here to casually watch this after a few cocktails and the tomato chop shot blew my. mind!!!

[@jeniferjoseph9200]

I’m not a very adventurous cook but I will definitely be making this!

[@StrawberryDreemurr]

This looks like a fantastic weeknight recipe. It’d probably be delicious with some shrimp to add a little protein to it. Gotta try the classic version first though.

[@EpicVideoMaster11]

BANGING

[@Lumberjacked67]

You should make some salsa macha. It is delicious on fried eggs and just about everything else.

[@BiggerBubba]

Growing up we added kalamata olive, still one of my favorite foods to this dat

[@youcantbeatk7006]

Good to see more white sauce dishes around the end of White Sauce Summer.

[@josephteller9715]

Its actually being a bad summer for tomatoes in the NorthEastern USA this year, thanks to way too much rain, so this one goes into my save for next year collection. Thank you for putting it out here for us.

[@nikovbn839]

Delicious :D

[@adamcantcook]

1:26 you've revolutionised my life, Ethan.

[@lag2377]

great tip for cutting cherry tomatoes, I'd never thought to do that

[@gumpygumpy]

I love ethans subtle mispronunciations. “Recifre”

[@joannelofgren2170]

This but try Brie cheese and garlic… our favorite thing to do with homegrown tomatoes! Going to have to try this version next time.

[@brosefv759]

Hey Ethan love your content, wanted to know if there's any alternative for the pepper (can't seem to find it). thank you

[@Wahtukule]

This with shrimps Thx for the idea bro

[@Idiotman44]

Gonna be honest, I wasn't expecting this to be as good as it was. Really fucking good food for very low effort. Note: I've made it twice now, once with tomatoes out of my garden and once with store bought regular tomatoes, both were good, but if you have access to fresh tomatoes, they take the dish to a whole other level

[@sdegueldre]

Cool hack with the cherry tomatoes!

[@gmcallister1976]

Made this using penne today. Fantastic.

[@vanessaa2301]

I came back to this vid after making a variation of this several times in the span of a couple weeks, just to say it's absolutely amazing AND forgiving. I don't buy fresh mozza, so I've been using cream cheese. occasionally I throw in leftover pork/chicken/meat. it's an absolute winner. thanks ethan!

[@cameronrose2315]

Nice recipe, I'm not sure about losing that tomato water tho in my experience it tastes pretty good

[@atlantauncut]

My father was Italian and cooked this for us often. One huge difference is the fresh garlic...that is missing in this recipe. I remember throughout my entire life eating this particular dish...it's one of the best. His recipe didn't include oregano or thyme. I remember him telling me this: when you prepare Checca, in order to be perfect you must make sure that with every bite you taste at the same time the basil, the mozzarella, the tomatoes, the fresh garlic, and the olive oil. So when you make it make sure there are generous amounts of each ingredient. Garlic...is extremely important to the recipe. All the flavors must explode in your mouth for maximum pleasure.

[@NoahHoi]

I like how easy this is to follow because my cooking is garbage.

[@tubeagespank]

Just yesterday I was wondering what to do with all these sun gold tomatoes? Here we go!

[@wreonchkusi]

Hi Ethan, could you revisit your thoughts regarding not boiling the pasta water? Because I’ve noticed that you do boil it quite regularly

[@bwsct]

Silly question but what kind of knife do you use to cut the tomatoes with? I think I'm looking for something similar to do that and butterfly chicken with. Thanks

[@peterflom6878]

Neat trick with the cherry tomatoes

[@matt4193]

holy carp the cherry tomato trick is great

[@cleefy92]

An American with a kettle. Never thought I'd see the day.

[@fmgirl99]

The cherry tomato slicing hack changed my life

[@Daede86]

I would suggest to add garlic too! Also try to add the pasta water before the pasta, so you can emulsify the tomatoes before the pasta :)

[@safe]

what’s the order of your myspace top 8 roman pasta dishes?

[@mattie_makes990]

Hi Ethan!!

[@languagechefcorey]

Little minced garlic could be added to the herb blend? Then sizzled with hot oil?

[@conormccann582]

Damn, I love when my tomatoes sign!

[@aidenaidenson9528]

Would there be a way to add in some meat to this dish for added protein?

[@keithmcbrayer9896]

What Nakiri knife do you use Ethan?

[@michael1326]

@Ethan - please order and try some Rustichella pasta in your next dish. Spaghetti, bucatini, or even penne - this brand is an order of magnitude better than what your using here.

[@Wemfs]

Is there a reason you choose to rip up the basil leaves instead of chopping them up finely with the other fresh herbs?

[@languagechefcorey]

Apparently cutting basil with metal leads to blackening of the leaves. Shouldn't change the flavor much but most Italians rip it by hand because of that

[@jeffjrums6051]

It looks like you could easily add shrimp to this as well, if one may be so bold.