What to use instead of spaghettoni
A thick strand releases more starch and stays firm longer, so it suits the Roman cheese sauces that need starchy water to come together. It also stands up to guanciale and pepper without going limp.
The closest swap: spaghetti
The standard strand, one or two minutes faster.
Spaghettoni is long strands, 250 to 260 mm long, 12 to 15 minutes in the pot. Spaghetti sits in the long strands family and cooks in 9 to 12 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 spaghettoni, 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
Spaghetti
Long strands · Campania
The standard strand, one or two minutes faster (chosen)
- 2
Bucatini
Long strands · Lazio
Similar heft with a bore (chosen)
- 3
Tonnarelli
Long strands · Lazio
A square fresh strand of the same weight, also Roman (chosen)
- 4
Capellini
Long strands · Campania
Same family, also solid, also smooth, close in size
- 5
Fedelini
Long strands · Liguria
Same family, also solid, also smooth, close in size
- 6
Linguine
Long strands · Liguria
Same family, also solid, also smooth, close in size
- 7
Spaghettini
Long strands · Campania
Same family, also solid, also smooth, close in size
- 8
Su filindeu
Long strands · Sardinia
Same family, also solid, also smooth, close in size
Match the sauce, not the look
Spaghettoni is listed against 4 sauces. Pick the swap that holds the one you are cooking.
- Best pasta for cacio e pepe: Pecorino Romano and black pepper emulsified with starchy pasta water. A creamy film that clings to a rough long strand.
- Best pasta for carbonara: Egg yolk, pecorino, guanciale, pepper. A silky coating with crisp pieces of pork. Long strands or a ridged tube, both are Roman.
- Best pasta for gricia: Guanciale, pecorino, pepper. Carbonara without the egg. It wants a rough tube or a wide strand that holds the fat.
- 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 spaghettoni and each swap.