Quick and Easy Piadina Wraps (Italian Street Food)

If you've ever wished you could eat pasta with your hands without getting disgusted looks from others, you're in luck! This Italian wrap puts all your favorite pasta flavors and toppings in one convenient edible package; no fork necessary.

A piadina is a kind of Italian flatbread similar to a tortilla. In some regions of Italy, you can buy piadine filled with meat, vegetables, cheese, and more from stands on the street. Recently my husband went to Strada, an Italian street food restaurant in Oregon, and tried a version of a piadina that included pasta and pesto. He loved it, so we decided to make our own. This is a quick, easy way to make a piadina wrap. Think of it as an Italian burrito, with pasta and meatballs instead of rice and beans.

You can include any meat, vegetables, pasta, sauce and cheese you'd like in these wraps, but here are the ingredients we recommend:

• Piadine (if you can find them. If not, tortillas or other flatbread will do)
• 1 cup arugula, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped tomato
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup fresh shredded parmesan or asiago cheese
• Meat of your choice (we used precooked meatballs and frozen calamari)
• Assorted Italian sauces (we used pesto and marinara)

Most pasta will have cooking instructions on the package. For spaghetti, fill a large pot 3/4 full with water. Add a couple teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil. Once the water is at a rapid boil, add spaghetti noodles. Stir occasionally to keep noodles from sticking. Cook 7-11 minutes or until the pasta has reached your desired texture (I like mine al dente). Drain and set aside.

While the spaghetti is cooking, chop mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, onions, arugula, and whatever else you'd like to include in your piadina.

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and saute your peppers, onions, and mushrooms until tender. In the same skillet, saute your precooked meatballs and/or calamari until heated through.

I've found the easiest way to put the wrap together is to spread pesto and marinara sauce on the flatbread first. Then layer on any other ingredients you want, including spaghetti noodles. Sprinkle parmesan or asiago cheese across the top. You can fold it in half and fry the whole thing like a quesadilla, or wrap it all up like a burrito.

The best part about these piadina wraps is that everyone can choose the ingredients they want and make one to taste. Don't forget to make enough for seconds and thirds (trust us, you'll want them).