Five fun pasta shapes

It’s time to celebrate everyone’s favourite dough-based dish – pasta! While Italian cuisine helped popularise the dish, pasta varieties can be found in cultures all around the world including Germany and China.
 
Today, the popularity of pasta is commemorated with World Pasta Day on Friday 25 October. First organised by the World Pasta Congress (yes, this is a real thing) pasta producers, millers and ingredient suppliers gather annually to discuss the latest pasta innovations and industry insights. But you don’t need to go to a conference to enjoy World Pasta Day, as we’re bringing the fun to you with our top five pasta shape recipes. 

Pasta is well loved by students of the Kitchen Garden Program and with good reason. It’s a crowd favourite, has an almost endless variety of shapes and sizes and it provides the perfect little vessel for delicious sauces and fillings. Plus, pasta making provides hands on learning opportunities and tactile experiences that connect to other aspects of the curriculum, such as numeracy. 

If you’ve always worked with pre-cooked pasta from the supermarket, we highly encourage you to give it a go making it from scratch! We promise it’s not as tricky as you might think and you don’t always need a pasta machine either. Members can download our basic pasta dough recipe right here. 

1. Capunti
You might not have heard of capunti but don’t let that stop you from giving it a go! This lesser-known pasta shape is shaped like an empty pea pod and originates from Puglia in Italy. This is a perfect recipe if you’re working around an egg allergy and don’t have a pasta machine – these little guys are made by hand. 

Once your dough is ready, roll a section into a long thin log. Trim into smaller pieces about 2 cm long, then press down and back towards you using three fingers. Check out our video demonstration to help you get the hang of it. 

2. Spaghetti
What list of pasta shapes would be complete without the absolute classic – spaghetti! The name roughly translates to ‘small strings’, which is a very apt description. It’s made with a simple egg and flour dough, before being fed through a pasta machine to create those lovely, long strings. Pair with a simple bolognaise or veggie-based sauce. 

3. Macaroni
Level up your next macaroni dish by making it by hand, otherwise known as ‘macaroni a mano’. Originating in Sicily, this pasta shape was originally created by rolling the pasta dough around water reeds. Today you can use thin knitting needles or wooden skewers to roll the tube shaped pasta. Macaroni pairs well with hearty vegetable sauces, ragu or baked cheese dishes. 

4. Gnocchi
Here’s another crowd favourite, the humble gnocchi. The addition of mashed potato adds a delightful, squishy texture to the dough and makes it a fun, tactile cooking experience, especially for little hands. Experiment with different flavours, such as spinach or pumpkin.

Once you’ve prepared your dough, roll sections out into logs about 2 cm wide and cut into 0.5 cm small pieces. Give them a light dusting of flour before plopping them into a pot of salted boiling water. You’ll know when they’re done once they gently float back up to the surface. 

5. Orecchiette
Another variety hailing from Puglia in Italy, this adorable pasta shape is said to look like little ears and is created by hand. The addition of ricotta into the pasta dough creates its signature velvety texture. 

Once your dough is ready, divide it into walnut-sized pieces and roll each piece into a small sausage. Slice the dough in 3mm thick pieces and shape it by pressing each slice against the palm of your hand with your thumb, twisting a little at the same time. 

We hope you give pasta making a go this World Pasta Day and please share your wonderful creations with us on Facebook, Instagram or by making a post on our online resource library and community hub, the Shared Table. Members can also check out last year’s webinar ‘Pasta Party’ to cook along with our resident pasta expert Suzie. 

If you would like to become a member of our Kitchen Garden Program to access all our wonderful pasta recipes, plus much more, join us at our next information session in November. Or feel free to reach out directly to our team via membership@kitchengardenfoundation.org.au.