Cavatelli Pasta: How to Make Handmade Cavatelli and Serve Them
Cavatelli are small, hollow pasta shells from southern Italy, shaped by pressing and dragging a nugget of dough across a board until it curls into a little pocket. The dough is only semolina and water, and the shape is made to hold thick sauces, beans and chunky vegetables. If you have eaten cavatelli with sausage […]
Orecchiette Pasta: History, How to Make It and Classic Sauces
Orecchiette means “little ears” in Italian. These small, dome-shaped pasta discs are the signature pasta of Puglia in southern Italy, where they are traditionally shaped by hand from only semolina and water. The curved cup holds small pieces of vegetable and meat, and the slightly rough surface grips olive oil and cheese. This guide covers […]
Pastina Pasta: Italian Comfort Pasta Recipe and Guide
By Syed Yasararafat Pastina is the Italian word for very small pasta shapes, and it is one of the simplest comfort foods you can make. A handful of tiny stars or rings, some warm broth, a little butter and cheese, and dinner is ready in about 10 minutes. This guide explains what pastina is, which […]
Bucatini Pasta: What It Is, How to Cook It and Best Sauces
Bucatini is a long, thick pasta with a hollow centre, like a drinking straw made of dough. It looks like thick spaghetti, but the hole running through it lets sauce get inside as well as coat the outside. Bucatini is strongly associated with Rome and the Lazio region, and it is the classic partner for […]
Pasta Shapes Guide: Names, Types and What to Serve With Each
A pasta shape is not just decoration. The size, surface and hollowness of a shape decide how it holds sauce, how it cooks and what it is best used for. Italy has hundreds of traditional shapes, and local names push the count much higher, so this guide groups them by type and links to our […]
Lasagne Verdi: How to Make Green Spinach Pasta Sheets
Lasagne verdi are green lasagne sheets, made by working blanched spinach into an egg pasta dough. The name simply means “green lasagne”. The sheets come from Emilia-Romagna, where they are traditionally layered with Bolognese ragù and béchamel for baked lasagne alla bolognese. The spinach adds colour and a mild, earthy flavour, and it makes the […]
Chifferi Pasta: Ridged Elbows for Mac and Cheese, Salads and Soups
Chifferi are short, curved, hollow pasta, often ridged, that hold sauce inside and out. Learn how to cook them, how they differ from macaroni and three simple recipes.
Strozzapreti Pasta: Hand-Twisted Pasta, Cooking Time and Best Sauces
Strozzapreti are short, hand-twisted pasta from central Italy, especially Emilia-Romagna (above all Romagna), Tuscany, Marche and Umbria. Each piece is a thick, rough strip of dough rolled and twisted by hand, so no two are the same. The uneven twists and rough surface grip sauce well, which is why strozzapreti suit sausage ragù, mushroom sauces […]
Soba Noodles: Nutrition, How to Cook Them and What to Check on the Label
Soba are thin Japanese noodles made from buckwheat flour, often mixed with some wheat flour. They have an earthy, nutty flavour and a firm, slightly springy bite, and they are eaten hot in broth or chilled with a dipping sauce. This guide explains what soba is, how it compares with regular pasta, how to cook […]
Lumache Pasta: Snail-Shell Pasta for Ragù, Cheese Sauce and Baked Dishes
Lumache are snail-shaped pasta with a curled, partly closed shell that holds thick sauces. Learn how to cook them, the best sauces and what to use instead.
