What Can Replace a Specific Pasta Shape?

The main thing to match when swapping one pasta shape for another is how thick the sauce is. Rich, creamy sauces cling to ridges and hollows, while thin, runny sauces coat long strands better. The second thing to match is cooking time: thicker, chunkier shapes take longer to boil than thin ones, so adjust the time whenever you change the shape. If using whole wheat pasta, boil it slightly longer than regular pasta; being more fibrous, it absorbs water more slowly and takes longer to reach that firm bite. Colored pasta (spinach, tomato) cooks in the same time as plain pasta; the only difference is that a little of the color pigment leaches into the boiling water, which doesn't affect the dish's flavor. When to salt the pasta water should stay the same no matter which shape you substitute; salting right after it comes to a boil lets the flavor season the pasta evenly, whatever the shape. This timing matters even more with thicker shapes, since the salt takes longer to penetrate. Use plenty of water too, or the pasta can stick to the bottom of the pot. Can egg pasta replace pasta made without eggs? Egg pasta (like fresh homemade noodles) can replace dry eggless pasta but cooks much faster; 3–4 minutes is usually enough, compared with 8–10 minutes for dried pasta. Egg pasta tends to make the water foam up more once added; turn the heat down slightly so the pot doesn't boil over. What can replace penne? Without penne, rigatoni or fusilli both work; their ridges or curls grip creamy or meaty sauces in a similar way. Rigatoni is a bit thicker than penne, so add 1–2 minutes to the boiling time. If you use fusilli, cut any large pieces of meat in the sauce smaller — its curled shape doesn't carry big chunks as well as penne does. Which long pasta can replace spaghetti? Without spaghetti, linguine or tagliatelle both give a similar result with thin sauces like tomato or garlic oil. Tagliatelle is a touch thicker, so boiling can run about a minute longer. When mixing these pasta shapes with sauce, add a ladleful of the cooking water; its starch helps the sauce cling to the pasta. What can replace small pasta in soup? If you do not have vermicelli or orzo (barley-shaped pasta), broken spaghetti or small bow-tie pasta both work in soup. If you break spaghetti, don't cut it too fine, or it soaks up too much liquid and turns the soup gluey. Small pasta shapes cook fast, usually 6–8 minutes; go past that and the pasta starts breaking apart in the soup. What to watch for with gluten-free pasta? Gluten-free pasta, usually made from corn or rice flour, softens faster than wheat pasta and sticks more easily. Keep the water at a rolling boil and stir often. Cook it a minute short of the package time and toss it with the sauce right after draining — waiting around is when it clumps.