What to use instead of occhi di lupo

The closest swap: mezze maniche

Every swap for occhi di lupo, 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. 1
   

   Mezze maniche

   Tubes · All of Italy

   The same short wide tube (chosen)

2. 2
   

   Rigatoni

   Tubes · Lazio

   The full length (chosen)

3. 3
   

   Mezzi rigatoni

   Tubes · All of Italy

   Same family, also hollow, also ridged, shares 4 sauces, close in size

4. 4
   

   Tortiglioni

   Tubes · Campania

   Same family, also hollow, also ridged, shares 4 sauces, close in size

5. 5
   

   Pennoni

   Tubes · All of Italy

   Same family, also hollow, also ridged, shares 3 sauces, close in size

6. 6
   

   Lumache

   Tubes · All of Italy

   Same family, also hollow, also ridged, shares 2 sauces, close in size

7. 7
   

   Garganelli

   Tubes · Emilia-Romagna

   Same family, also hollow, also ridged, shares 1 sauce, close in size

8. 8
   

   Pipe rigate

   Tubes · All of Italy

   Same family, also hollow, also ridged, shares 1 sauce, close in size

Match the sauce, not the look

Occhi di lupo is listed against 4 sauces. Pick the swap that holds the one you are cooking.

• Best pasta for meat ragu: Any slow meat sauce with solids in it. It wants a shape with a cavity: a wide tube, a cup, or a broad ribbon.
• 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 baked (al forno): Pasta finished in the oven with sauce and cheese, or stuffed and baked. It needs a sturdy shape that survives twice cooking.
• Best pasta for amatriciana: Guanciale, tomato, pecorino, chili. A short cooked sauce with pieces in it. Bucatini in Rome, spaghetti in Amatrice.

Side by side

The measured difference between occhi di lupo and each swap.