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Dried pasta

Pasta, noodles & bread · Pasta

Dried pasta

Dried Italian pasta made from durum wheat semolina and water, in shapes from spaghetti to penne and orzo.

Also called: pasta, spaghetti, penne, fusilli, linguine, macaroni, rigatoni, makarna, orzo

Around the world: pasta (it) · makarna (tr)

50 recipes with it

Photo: David Adam Kess, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

What it is

Dried pasta is extruded from a stiff dough of durum wheat semolina and water, then dried slowly until hard. Durum's strong gluten keeps it firm (al dente) when boiled. Bronze-die pasta has a rough, matt surface that holds sauce better than smooth, shiny Teflon-die pasta. Fresh egg pasta is a different, softer product made with flour and eggs; some dried shapes also contain egg.

Triticum durum

How it’s used

  • Long shapes (spaghetti, linguine) with oil-based and tomato sauces
  • Tubes and twists (penne, rigatoni, fusilli) with chunky or baked sauces
  • Macaroni cheese and pasta bakes
  • Orzo and small shapes in soups
  • Pasta salads

Characteristics

Texture
Firm, with a slight bite at the centre when al dente.
When cooked
Boil in plenty of well-salted water; save some starchy cooking water to emulsify and loosen the sauce. Rinse only for cold salads.
Sold as
dried, fresh
Cooking uses
Commonly cooked, Suitable for boiling, Suitable for baking

Storage

Pantry-stable. Keeps for a long time in a dry cupboard. Refrigerate cooked pasta promptly and use within a few days.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Wheat, Gluten. May contain Eggs — check the label.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free (check label)
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Contains wheat and gluten; unsuitable for people with coeliac disease or a wheat allergy.
  • Some shapes contain egg; check the label.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
371 kcal
Protein
13.04 g
Carbohydrate
74.67 g
Fat
1.51 g
Fibre
3.2 g
Sugars
2.67 g

USDA FoodData Central: Pasta, dry, enriched.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Gluten-free pasta — Rice, corn or legume pastas cook faster and turn mushy if overcooked; check often.

Related ingredients

Recipes with dried pasta

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