What to use instead of mafaldine
The frilled edges trap a sauce that a flat ribbon would shed, so it handles ragu, sausage, and cream with pieces in them. It also takes a smooth tomato well; the ruffles hold it.
The closest swap: pappardelle
A wide egg ribbon without the ruffle.
Mafaldine is ribbons, 250 to 260 mm long, 8 to 11 minutes in the pot. Pappardelle sits in the ribbons family and cooks in 3 to 9 minutes. Match the cook time first. A swap that is right in shape and wrong in time still ends up wrong on the plate.
Every swap for mafaldine, ranked
A substitute must behave the same way with the sauce you are making. The ones marked as chosen are hand-picked. The rest score on family, cavity, surface, size, and shared sauces.
- 1
Pappardelle
Ribbons · Tuscany
A wide egg ribbon without the ruffle (chosen)
- 2
Lasagnette
Ribbons · All of Italy
Similar width, one ruffled edge (chosen)
- 3
Fettuccine
Ribbons · Lazio
Narrower and plain (chosen)
- 4
Maccheroncini di Campofilone
Ribbons · Marche
Same family, also solid, also smooth, shares 1 sauce
- 5
Maltagliati
Ribbons · Emilia-Romagna
Same family, also solid, also smooth, shares 1 sauce
- 6
Tagliatelle
Ribbons · Emilia-Romagna
Same family, also solid, also smooth, shares 1 sauce
- 7
Pizzoccheri
Ribbons · Lombardy
Same family, also solid, close in size
- 8
Stringozzi
Ribbons · Umbria
Same family, also solid, shares 2 sauces
Match the sauce, not the look
Mafaldine is listed against 5 sauces. Pick the swap that holds the one you are cooking.
- Best pasta for sausage ragu: Crumbled sausage, often with fennel, cooked in tomato or white wine. Orecchiette in Puglia, rigatoni everywhere else.
- Best pasta for ragu napoletano: Whole cuts of meat braised for hours in tomato. The sauce dresses the pasta; the meat is the second course. Ziti and paccheri.
- Best pasta for ricotta: Fresh ricotta loosened with pasta water, with lemon, pepper, or spinach. Mild and creamy. Short shapes and ribbons.
- Best pasta for cream sauce: Panna with cheese, mushrooms, ham, or peas. Heavy and clinging. Ridges and cups keep it on the pasta.
- Best pasta for pomodoro: Tomato, olive oil, garlic or onion, basil. Smooth and light. Almost any shape works; the classic is spaghetti or penne.
Side by side
The measured difference between mafaldine and each swap.