What to use instead of vesuvio

The closest swap: trottole

Every swap for vesuvio, 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
   

   Trottole

   Short shapes · All of Italy

   A coiled ribbon (chosen)

2. 2
   

   Fusilli

   Short shapes · Campania

   A spiral (chosen)

3. 3
   

   Campanelle

   Short shapes · All of Italy

   A cone (chosen)

4. 4
   

   Conchiglie

   Short shapes · All of Italy

   Same family, also solid, shares 2 sauces, close in size

5. 5
   

   Farfalle

   Short shapes · Lombardy

   Same family, also solid, also smooth, shares 1 sauce

6. 6
   

   Gemelli

   Short shapes · All of Italy

   Same family, also solid, also smooth, shares 1 sauce

7. 7
   

   Radiatori

   Short shapes · All of Italy

   Same family, also solid, shares 1 sauce, close in size

8. 8
   

   Rotelle

   Short shapes · All of Italy

   Same family, also solid, also smooth, shares 1 sauce

Match the sauce, not the look

Vesuvio is listed against 4 sauces. Pick the swap that holds the one you are cooking.

• 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 sausage ragu: Crumbled sausage, often with fennel, cooked in tomato or white wine. Orecchiette in Puglia, rigatoni everywhere else.
• Best pasta for pomodoro: Tomato, olive oil, garlic or onion, basil. Smooth and light. Almost any shape works; the classic is spaghetti or penne.
• Best pasta for ricotta: Fresh ricotta loosened with pasta water, with lemon, pepper, or spinach. Mild and creamy. Short shapes and ribbons.

Side by side

The measured difference between vesuvio and each swap.