Pasta shapes for soup and broth
Soup pasta is measured by the spoon. A shape that fits on a spoon with a piece of bean or vegetable is the right size. Tubetti and ditalini are the minestrone and pasta e fagioli shapes. Orzo and acini di pepe suit a thin broth. Stelline and the smallest pastina are for a broth served to a child or a convalescent.
Cook the pasta in the soup if the soup is eaten at once. Cook it apart and add it to each bowl if the soup will be kept, because pasta left in liquid swells and turns soft.
26 shapes, A to Z.
Acini di pepe
Pastina · All of Italy
tiny beads the size of peppercorns. cooks in 6 to 9 min
Alphabet pasta
Pastina · All of Italy
tiny letters of the alphabet. cooks in 6 to 8 min
Anelli
Pastina · Sicily
small thin rings. cooks in 8 to 11 min
Anolini
Stuffed · Emilia-Romagna
small round parcel stamped from two sheets, filled with braised beef. cooks in 3 to 5 min
Capellini
Long strands · Campania
very fine round strand, under 1 mm. cooks in 2 to 4 min
Cappelletti
Stuffed · Emilia-Romagna
circle or square folded and pinched into a little hat. cooks in 3 to 5 min
Chifferi
Tubes · All of Italy
short curved elbow tube, usually ridged. cooks in 8 to 10 min
Ditali
Tubes · Campania
short straight tube, as long as it is wide. cooks in 8 to 11 min
Ditalini
Pastina · Campania
tiny straight tube, the soup ditali. cooks in 7 to 10 min
Farfalline
Pastina · All of Italy
tiny bow ties for soup. cooks in 6 to 9 min
Fedelini
Long strands · Liguria
fine round strand, between capellini and spaghettini. cooks in 5 to 7 min
Fregola
Pastina · Sardinia
irregular toasted semolina pearls, like a coarse couscous. cooks in 8 to 12 min
Macaroni
Tubes · Campania
short narrow smooth tube, straight or curved into an elbow. cooks in 7 to 10 min
Maltagliati
Ribbons · Emilia-Romagna
irregular scraps of egg sheet, cut at random. cooks in 2 to 4 min
Marubini
Stuffed · Lombardy
round or square parcel of braised meat, served in three broths. cooks in 3 to 5 min
Orzo
Pastina · All of Italy
grain-shaped pasta the size of a large rice grain. cooks in 7 to 10 min
Pastina
Pastina · All of Italy
any tiny pasta for broth; the smallest grade of all. cooks in 4 to 7 min
Pennette
Tubes · All of Italy
small penne, ridged, about 3.5 cm. cooks in 8 to 11 min
Quadrucci
Pastina · Lazio
small squares cut from egg tagliatelle. cooks in 2 to 4 min
Sedani
Tubes · All of Italy
slightly curved narrow ridged tube. cooks in 10 to 12 min
Semi di melone
Pastina · All of Italy
flat oval seeds, like a melon seed. cooks in 6 to 8 min
Stelline
Pastina · All of Italy
tiny five- or six-pointed stars with a hole in the centre. cooks in 5 to 7 min
Su filindeu
Long strands · Sardinia
hair-fine threads stretched by hand and laid in three crossed layers on a disc. cooks in 2 to 4 min
Tagliolini
Ribbons · Piedmont
very narrow egg ribbon, 2 to 3 mm wide. cooks in 2 to 4 min
Tortellini
Stuffed · Emilia-Romagna
small square folded over a filling and wrapped around the finger into a ring. cooks in 2 to 4 min
Tubetti
Tubes · Campania
small straight tube, the soup tube of Naples. cooks in 8 to 10 min