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Soup Pasta |
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Pasta |
Description |
Estimated Cooking Time |
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Acini di pepe (peperini)
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Very tiny beads of pasta. |
Cook for 4 to 6 minutes. |
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Alphabets (alfabeto)
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Tiny alphabet shaped pasta. |
Cook for 5 to 9 minutes. |
|
Anelli (anelletti)
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Small rings of pasta. |
Cook for 7 to 10 minutes. |
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Anellini
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Tiny rings of pasta. Anellini is a smaller version of Anelli. |
Cook for 6 to 8 minutes. |
Conchigliette (baby shells)
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A tiny version of conchiglie pasta, which is pasta shaped similar to a conch shell. |
Cook for 7 to 9 minutes. |
Corallini
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Tiny, short pasta tubes. |
Cook for 5 to 7 minutes. |
Couscous
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A rolled wheat, grain shaped pasta that is the tiniest of all pastas. Couscous is not generally used in soups but is used in salads or as the base to a savory dish. Originally, it required cooking for hours in a steamer. It is now available as a precooked instant product. |
To cook, add couscous to a premeasured quantity of boiling water (or other liquids suggested by a specific recipe), cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 5 to 7 minutes. |
Ditali
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Small, short-cut pasta tubes that are approximately 3/8" long. |
Cook for 9 to 11 minutes. |
Ditalini
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A smaller version of the ditali tube pasta. |
Cook for 8 to 10 minutes. |
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Ditalini rigati |
Ditalini pasta with a ridged outer surface. |
Cook for 8 to 10 minutes. |
Farfalline
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A small version of the bow-tie or butterfly shaped pasta, farfalle. |
Cook for 6 to 8 minutes. |
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Fideos
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Short thin strands of pasta which have a slight curve to them. |
Cook for 5 to 7 minutes. |
| Filini |
Very thin, short-cut strands of pasta. Similar to fideos, only smaller. |
Cook for 4 to 6 minutes. |
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Fregola
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A Sardinian pasta that is sometimes mistaken as a grain. It is very similar in shape to couscous but is larger in size. They are handmade with semolina and water, then by rubbing to form pellets of pasta. They are then toasted to give them a nutty flavor. |
Cook for 8 to 10 minutes. |
| Funghini |
Tiny mushroom shaped pasta. |
Cook for 7 to 10 minutes. |
Grattini
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A tiny egg pasta similar to couscous. It is used in soups and baked dishes. It is also used in some desserts. |
Cook for 5 to 8 minutes. |
Grattoni
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Tiny diamond shaped egg pasta. |
Cook for 5 to 8 minutes. |
| Occhi di pernice |
Tiny rings of pasta. |
Cook for 3 to 5 minutes. |
Orzo (rosa marina)
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Small pasta shapes resembling rice or grain. |
Cook for 7 to 10 minutes. |
Pastine
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Includes any of the tiny pasta shapes that are available. The pastine pasta shapes are generally used in broth based or light soups and are sometimes referred to as soup pasta. |
Cooking time varies from just a few minutes up to 13 or 14 minutes. |
Pearl Pasta
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Small, solid beads of pasta. Pearl pasta is slightly larger than acini di pepe pasta. Also referred to as piombi pasta. |
Cook for 11 to 13 minutes. |
| Quadrettini (quadrucci) |
Small, flat, square or triangle shaped pasta. |
Cook for 6 to 8 minutes. |
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Risi (risoni, pasta a riso)
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Small rice or grain shaped pasta. Risi is slightly smaller than orzo. The singular form is riso. |
Cook for 4 to 6 minutes. |
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Seme di melone
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Small pasta shaped similar to flat melon seeds. |
Cook for 9 to 12 minutes. |
Stelle (stellette)
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Small star shaped pasta that contains a hole through the center of the star.
|
Cook for 6 to 9 minutes. |
Stelline
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A smaller version of stelle pasta. |
Cook for 5 to 7 minutes. |
| Stortini |
Short, curved tube pasta, which is basically a smaller version of elbow macaroni. |
Cook for 7 to 9 minutes.
|
| Tempestina |
Tiny solid beads of pasta. |
Cook for 8 to 10 minutes. |
Tripolini (little bows)
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Generally used to describe tiny bow tie shaped pasta, but it is sometimes used to describe a wide strand of pasta that has a wavy edge on one side. |
Cook bow tie shaped pasta for 6 to 8 minutes. |
Tubetti
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Small tubular pasta, which are similar to ditalini pasta only slightly longer in length. |
Cook for 7 to 10 minutes. |
Tubettini
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Tiny pasta tubes that are a smaller version of tubetti. |
Cook for 6 to 9 minutes. |
