5 Italian Pasta Options to Consider Beyond Spaghetti

When you think of Italian pasta, a delicious plate of spaghetti and meatballs probably comes to mind, but you can expand your flavor options and explore the many forms of pasta an Italian restaurant has to offer.

As you browse an Italian food menu, you will come across many different pasta names. Instead of just ordering blindly, learn about how various pastas are used in recipes and how the different shapes and sizes can change your eating experience.

One of the closest pastas you will find to spaghetti is fettuccine. Often used in cream-based dishes like an Alfredo sauce, fettuccine is a little thicker than spaghetti and has a flatter shape. You can easily wrap the pasta around a fork and the pasta is often combined with meats like chicken for added flavors.

When looking for dietary options, you may find fettuccine pasta available in gluten-free or whole-wheat options.

If you want a similar option to spaghetti but made with different base ingredients, then consider vermicelli. The rice-based pasta is used in several dishes, including a lot of spicy red sauce options. Made using rice, vermicelli is typically pressed into a very thin pasta. For comparison, vermicelli is often thinner than angel hair pasta.

The thin pasta is piled together in bundles or nests and easy to handle with a fork. The pasta is ideal with a lot of vegetables like mushrooms and peppers. When tossed in olive oil, the pasta has a smooth texture and is easy to swallow.

If you want a pasta that can soak up sauces and flavors, consider a penne pasta dish. Penne is a short tube-like pasta with a hollow center. Instead of square edges like a ziti pasta, penne often features an angled edge that offers more texture and a unique look to the pasta.

Penne can act as a replacement for many pasta dishes. Instead of spaghetti and meatballs, you may choose a penne with meatballs and marinara. Mostaccioli is a specialty Italian dish that replaces the traditional lasagna pasta with penne. The noodles are layered with cheeses and sauce to create a hearty meal.

You may also find penne served with white sauces and used in a variety of cold-based pasta salads.

Gnocchi is a potato-based pasta that is made with a combination of mashed potatoes, flour, and eggs. Gnocchi is often formed into small square or rectangle shapes and may be pressed with a fork to add some texture to the shape design.

Gnocchi is much softer to chew and may be combined with any traditional pasta dish. Some Italian restaurants may stuff gnocchi with ingredients like cheese or spices for extra flavor. The potato element often soaks up sauces, giving you a lot of flavors with each bite. Red sauces often work well with gnocchi, but you may consider an Alfredo sauce as well.

The unique texture and formation of pasta make it easy to form in a lot of different shapes. Some restaurants may feature specialty-shaped pastas that add a visual treat and some unique textures while eating. One of the more common novelty pastas you will come across is the bow-tie.

Shaped into a bow-tie with scalloped edges, the pasta can pile high on a plate and provide you with easy bites to lift with a fork. Another shape you will find is pasta shells. Available in multiple sizes, shells are often ideal for a macaroni-and-cheese-based dish as creamy cheese sauce will fill the shells.

Dine with us at Picano's Italian Grille to try out one or more of our pasta options. You expand your food choices and may find a new dish you enjoy for years to come.