Tubular pasta is pasta that is in the form of a tube. How is that for an easy answer?
Penne
But really, this style of pasta still comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. From large manicotti pasta (these are the ones that look like big pipes), to smaller penne with the angled edges and ridges.
Tubular pasta has a variety of uses. For example, take ditalini. These are very tiny short tubes which are often used in soups such as minestrone. These I would not serve with a regular pasta sauce, as I would with penne or rigatoni pasta.
By the way, rigatoni is the same as penne, but the ends are cut straight across, not diagonal. They do not always have ridges, but are sometimes smooth.
Rigatoni
Of course manicotti are usually stuffed with cheese, sauce and even meats. Pretty much anything you would use for a stuffed shell recipe would do well for these.
Now here is one you may not have heard of before – butani. Unlike the shorter tubular pastas, these are the length of spaghetti and are hollow inside. My mother in law eats these with just olive oil and cheese. I have yet to try them as of this date.
In regards, to which type of sauce is best for tubular pasta – I’d say it depends on the style of tube. I’ve used rigatoni for some amazing pasta salads. A good rule of thumb is to use lighter sauces for more fragile pastas. You want there to be a balance, where neither the pasta or the sauce overpowers the other.
Here is a list of various shapes documented by the National Pasta Association website.
Feel free to share your own tips regarding tubular pasta.
Liz
Easy Italian Pasta Recipes
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