Pasta comes in all shapes and sizes, but few are more universally beloved than the classic penne. The satisfying bite-sized tubes are ideal for holding a variety of different sauces, from chunky ragù to silky carbonara. Whatever your favorite pasta sauce, there’s a good chance penne would be an enjoyable match.
However, with over 350 varieties of pasta to choose from, it’d be a shame to stick to the same staple night after night, no matter its versatility. Thankfully, there are a host of similar styles that make worthwhile substitutes, so you can switch up your mealtimes without completely leaving behind what you know and love. Read on to learn about four tubular pasta shapes other than the classic penne, and what makes each of them truly unique.
1. Garganelli
First on our list are garganelli, the ridged pasta tubes inspired by body parts. Yes, you read that correctly — body parts. Buon appetito! As the pasta experts Pasta Evangelists explain, “the name of this pasta is derived from the dialectical term garganel, which relates to the Italian gargarozzo, or oesophagus in English. The shape is in fact said to resemble the gargarozzo of a chicken”.
Thankfully, this is where the anatomical comparisons end: garganelli are actually delightful little hand-folded tubes, made by delicately wrapping pasta dough around a rod and rolling it across a lined surface, to create a ridge pattern across the width of the pasta. Penne tubes, on the other hand, are usually extruded to achieve their trademark shape which results in grooves along the length of the pasta. When it comes to pairing garganelli with a sauce, their narrow ridges and smaller inner tube make them the perfect pasta to carry bright, flavorful sauces, with ingredients such as tomato and parsley.
2. Ditalini
Our next pasta variety is the shorter and chunkier sibling of the classic penne. The name ditalini means “little thimbles”, in reference to their small and stout tubular shape. The hollows in the center of ditalini have a wide circumference, perfect for carrying creamy sauces.
This small shape is also used to add little bites of pasta to salads and classic soups like minestrone. Ditalini are commonly available in both smooth lisci and grooved rigate varieties, the latter providing a larger surface area to soak up sauce or broth.
However, the quintessential ditalini dish is pasta e fagioli, or “pasta and beans”. This staple Italian meal is usually prepared with cannellini or bortolotti beans, sat in a broth or tomato base. These beans actually originate in America and were first introduced to Italy in the 16th century, when the rich and powerful imported them to enjoy in classic dishes. While some ditalini recipes can contain meat, beans add more than enough texture and variety to a soup, as well as a healthy dose of protein.
3. Rigatoni
Rigatoni are a larger tube than penne, typically associated with southern Italian dishes. As well as the size difference, the cut of rigatoni also separates it from penne: while the latter is cut diagonally to give a pointed tube shape, the former is cut straight instead of crosswise, making a traditional cylinder. The name comes from rigato, meaning “ridged”. In tandem with a wide hollow inside, rigatoni’s trademark grooves help to catch chunkier sauces and vegetables, as well as hold cheese effectively in baked dishes.
Once cooked, these bigger tubes get coated with sauce both inside and outside, making every bite satisfying and flavorful. Rigatoni are also a great shape to stock up on, so you have something to throw with any old produce that needs to be used up, as they can hold larger pieces of veg — for inspiration, check out broccoli and walnut rigatoni or vegetable rigatoni ‘n’ cheese.
4. Paccheri
Paccheri are a much larger, wider tube of pasta than penne, and broader still than the similar rigatoni. Their name is suggested to originate from the Neapolitan dialect, in which paccharia means “slaps” — emulating the sound made when pouring a large glug of sauce onto the pasta, or possibly when it’s eaten.
Once upon a time, this particular shape was considered ‘pasta for the poor’, as its pieces are large and very filling, so it takes little in quantity to satisfy an appetite. Interestingly, paccheri have a rich history in Europe: thanks to their large size, legend tells that the tubes were used to smuggle Italian garlic across the Austrian border, where it was banned to protect local farming in the 17th century.
Thanks to that same size, paccheri are classically served with rich, heavy sauces that can soak into the pasta. For example, some opt for a creamy tomato sauce with spicy Italian sausage. Alternatively, others prefer to stuff their hollow tubes and bake paccheri into a dish not dissimilar to lasagne, filling each shape with ricotta and layering them with tomato, spinach and Parmigiano Reggiano.
