Bavette Pasta: Flat Ligurian Ribbons for Pesto and Seafood
Bavette are narrow, flat ribbons from Liguria, best known with pesto and seafood. Learn how they compare with linguine, how to cook them and which sauces to use.
Conchiglie Pasta: Cooking Times, Sauces and Stuffed Shells
Conchiglie are shell-shaped pasta in three common sizes. Learn cooking times for each, the sauces that suit them, how to stuff and bake the large shells, and how to use them in salads.
Trofie Pasta: Liguria’s Twisted Pasta for Pesto
Trofie are short, tightly twisted pasta from Liguria on the north-west coast of Italy. Traditionally rolled by hand from semolina and water, with no eggs, they are best known as the pasta for basil pesto. Each piece is about 2 to 4 cm long, with a tapered body and a rough, spiralled surface that holds […]
Tortelloni: Fillings, Cooking Times and How They Differ from Tortellini
Tortelloni are large filled pasta, usually stuffed with ricotta and spinach. Learn how they differ from tortellini, how long to cook fresh and frozen ones, and which sauces suit them.
Orzo Pasta: What It Is, How to Cook It and Best Ways to Use It
Orzo is a small, rice-shaped pasta made from durum wheat semolina. Despite the resemblance, it is pasta and not a grain. The word means “barley” in Italian, a reference to the shape, and in Italy it is often sold as risoni, “big rice”. Orzo cooks in about 8 to 10 minutes and works in soups, […]
Maccheroni alla Molinara: Abruzzo’s Hand-Pulled Pasta Loop
Maccheroni alla molinara is a hand-pulled pasta from Abruzzo, stretched from a single ring of dough. Learn the history, the technique, the dough and the classic sauces.
Cavatappi Pasta: Corkscrew Pasta Guide, Cooking Time and Best Sauces
Cavatappi is a short, hollow, corkscrew-shaped pasta, usually ridged. The name comes from cava and tappi, a nod to a corkscrew. The tube holds sauce inside and the ridged spiral holds it on the outside, which makes cavatappi a favourite for baked mac and cheese, creamy dishes, chunky tomato sauces and cold pasta salads. It […]
Fusilli Pasta: What It Is, Cooking Time, Sauces and Recipes
Fusilli are spiral, corkscrew-shaped pasta, and one of the most useful short shapes in the kitchen. The tight twists catch sauce, small pieces of vegetable and cheese, which is why fusilli works with pesto, cream sauces, chunky ragù, baked dishes and cold salads. This guide explains what fusilli is, how it differs from similar spirals, […]
Paccheri Pasta: Neapolitan Giant Tubes, How to Cook and Stuff Them
Paccheri are very large, wide tubes of pasta, a signature of Naples and the Campania region in southern Italy. Each tube is several centimetres across, with a hollow centre big enough for small pieces of seafood, sausage and ricotta. That makes paccheri a good choice for stuffing and baking as well as for chunky sauces. […]
Cannelloni Pasta: Fillings, Sauces and a Simple Baked Recipe
Cannelloni are large pasta tubes (or rolled sheets of pasta) filled with ricotta and spinach, meat ragù, vegetables or seafood, then baked under tomato sauce, béchamel or both until bubbling and golden. It is a classic Italian baked first course, and it is also a good make-ahead dish for a crowd. This guide covers what […]
