Amori are curled, ridged hollow tubes of pasta that look like corkscrew macaroni. They are used in pasta dishes that will be baked, or that have creamy sauces. Cooking Tips Allow 3 to 4 oz (75 to 100g) of dried Amori per person. Boil in salted water for 10 to 12 minutes.
Pasta Rigata
Cavatappi (aka Scoobi Doo)
Cavatappi © Denzil Green Cavatappi are thick, corkscrew shaped tubes of pasta, that are usually ridged as well on their outsides. They hold chunky sauces well, and are also good in baked pasta dishes. In North America, it is often sold labelled as “Scoobi doo” pasta, for reasons unclear. Cooking Tips Cavatappi is very good…
Conchiglie
Pasta that is shaped like a conch shell. You can get it ridged or smooth, though it is usually ridged. Use in salads or for eating with hearty sauces on (often served with a meat sauce.) Because of its “shell” shape reminiscent of the sea, it’s also a natural for seafood sauces. Cooking Tips Boil…
Ditali
Ditali is a pasta from Napoli. The name in Italian (meaning “thimble”) is a bit misleading; this pasta isn’t closed at one end, as thimbles are, and given its size — ¼ inch (½ cm) long and ¼ inch (½ cm) wide — only Thumbellina would be able to get her finger in. They are…
Dried Gnocchi
Dried Gnocchi is made from semolina flour. Unlike fresh gnocchi, no potatoes are used. Dried Gnocchi is about the size of macaroni, shaped like a curved, hollow shell. It has a ridged outside surface to grip and hold heavier sauces. They’re smooth inside. A smaller version is called gnocchetti. Popular in Sardinia.
Elicoidali
Elicoidali are medium-sized tubes of ridged pasta. The ridges spiral gently up and around the tube. This pasta is used with tomato or cheese-based sauces. It holds its shape well when cooked. Cooking Tips Best if just cooked until tender to the bite so that a slightly chewy element is added to them. Substitutes Another…
Lumaconi
Lumaconi are pasta shells, shaped like the shell of a snail. They are hollow inside, and open at one end, closing in on itself at the other end. They are as large as a ping-pong ball. They are usually first boiled, then stuffed with a mixture involving a cheese such as ricotta, or vegetables such…
Manicotti
Manicotti are large tubes of pasta, stuffed, covered with a sauce, and baked. They can be made from pre-shaped tubes of pasta, or, from flat strips of pasta. The outsides of the pre-formed tubes are ridged to catch and hold onto sauce. When making it from flat pasta dough, long, wide, flat strips of pasta…
Mostaccioli Pasta
Mostaccioli Pasta is a hollow tube pasta very similar to penne. It is cut about 2 inches (5 cm) long, though sometimes about 1 inch (2 ½ cm) long. It comes with either smooth or ridged sides. The ends are “French cut” on a slant. It can be used for baking, or for salads. Substitutes…
Penne
Penne Lisce © Denzil Green Short tubes of pasta, with diagonally cut ends, like French cut beans. There are two kinds of Penne: the “lisce” has a smooth surface, the “rigate” is ridged. The ridges in the rigate help it hold onto sauces better. If you making a Penne dish with any vegetables or chopped…
Tortiglioni
Tortiglioni are hollow pasta tubes with ridged grooves spiralling around them, with their ends cut straight (as opposed to on a slant.) They are about the same length as Penne, but a bit wider. Being a chunky pasta, they are good in chunky dishes (say, if you were planning a pasta dish with sizable veg…
Trenne Pasta
Trenne Pasta is small, quill-shaped pasta that is rough and ridged on the outside, which makes it good for chunky sauces, and for baking. It is cut into tubes 2 ¼ to 2 ½ inches (about 5 cm) long that are hollow in the centre with a triangular cross-section. Cooking Tips Boil 10 to 12…
Trennette Pasta
Trennette Pasta is not the same as “Trenette Pasta” with 1 n in the name. It is a small version of Trenne pasta, made in Abruzzo, Italy. The pasta is quill-shaped, and hollow in the centre with a triangular cross-section. It is narrower than its bigger brother, and only 1 ¾ to 2 inches (about…
Whole Wheat Penne Rigate
Whole Wheat Penne Rigate © Denzil Green Whole Wheat Penne Rigate is a shaped pasta. It is tubes of pasta, about 7.5 cm (3 inches) long, hollow inside, with diagonally cut ends like French cut beans. The surface is ridged lengthwise. The ridges help sauce to cling to the surface of the pasta better. The…