Anelli Pasta: Tiny Rings for Soup and Sicilian Baked Pasta
Anelli are tiny pasta rings made for brothy soups and Sicily’s anelletti al forno. Here is how to cook them, what to pair them with and what to use instead.
Ruote Pasta: Wagon Wheel Pasta, Cooking Time and Best Sauces
Ruote is the Italian word for “wheels”, and ruote pasta is a short pasta shaped like a wagon wheel, with a central hub, a rim and spokes. It is also sold as rotelle (little wheels) and, in English, as wagon wheel pasta. The shape is popular in children’s meals and pasta salads, and the spaces […]
Campanelle Pasta: Bell-Shaped Pasta, Cooking and Sauces
Campanelle looks like a row of tiny bells: a short cone with a ruffled, petal-like rim and a hollow middle. The name means “little bells” in Italian, and the shape earns its keep in the kitchen. The curled edge catches sauce, while the open centre scoops up peas, crumbled sausage and melted cheese. This guide […]
Cencioni Pasta: The Little Rags of Italian Home Cooking
Cencioni are small, rustic pasta “rags” that grip sauce well. Learn what they are, how long to cook them, which sauces suit them and what to use if you cannot find them.
Creste di Gallo Pasta: Rooster’s Crest Shape, Cooking and Sauces
Creste di gallo are short, ruffled pasta shapes named for a rooster’s comb. Learn how to cook them, which sauces suit them and what to use instead.
Pennoni Pasta: What It Is, How It Differs From Penne and Best Sauces
Pennoni are the oversized cousin of penne: wide tubes with diagonally cut ends, usually with ridges along the surface. The name comes from penne, the Italian word for quills, with the ending -oni meaning “big”. The extra width makes them suited to thick sauces, chunky vegetables and baked dishes. This guide explains how pennoni differ […]
Mezzelune Pasta: Half-Moon Filled Pasta, Fillings and Sauces
Mezzelune are half-moon filled pasta made from a single folded circle of dough. Learn the dough, fillings, shaping, cooking times and sauces.
Alphabet Pasta: What It Is and How to Use It in Soup
Alphabet pasta is tiny dried pasta cut into letters, and for many people it means a warm bowl of soup and a spoon spelling out a name. It belongs to the family of very small soup pasta known in Italy as pastina, where it is sold as alfabeto. Because the pieces are so small, they […]
Corzetti Pasta: Stamped Coins from Liguria
Corzetti are flat, coin-shaped discs of fresh egg pasta from Liguria, pressed with a carved wooden stamp that cuts the circle and embosses a design on both faces. The patterns, which can be flowers, geometric stars or family crests, are not only decorative. The shallow relief catches sauce, so every bite carries flavour. This guide […]
Fregula Pasta: Sardinian Toasted Semolina Pearls
Fregula (also spelled fregola) is a Sardinian pasta made of tiny, irregular beads of semolina dough that are dried and then toasted in the oven. The toasting gives the beads colours from pale yellow to deep amber and a nutty, slightly smoky flavour that plain dried pasta does not have. They hold their shape in […]
