Dried Pasta

Elbow Macaroni

This pasta is a small and hollow tube that is curved into a semicircle. It somewhat resembles the shape that your elbow makes when you bend it. You will likely see this pasta used in macaroni and cheese and other casseroles.

Cannelloni

Also known as manicotti, these are usually about three to four inches long and rolled to be about one inch in diameter. Cammelloni, or manicotti, is generally boiled then stuffed with cheese and meat, or sometimes cheese and spinach, and finally covered in marinara sauce.
Penne

Penne is a type of pasta that comes from Italy. It is a tube or cylinder shped pasta with ends that are cut at an angle. If you ever hear anyone say “penna,” they are referring to more than one piece of the popular pasta. Penne comes in two styles, smooth which is known as “penne lisce” and with ridges which is known as “penne rigate.” Penne Rigate is also the kind that is generally seen in grocery stores.

Rigatoni

This pasta has a tube-like shape and is bigger than penne but it’s ends are not cut at an angle. It’s surface has ridges in it which are good for holding sauce whether it is creamy or chunky. The tube is even eide enough that it can be stuffed with soft foods like cheese or ground meats.

Cellentani

Cellentani is tube-shaped pasta that is thinner than penne but thicker than elbow macaroni, and it is formed into a spiral.

Spaghetti

“Little strings” is the literal translation of Spaghetti. These pasta noodles are long and thin strands. The word spaghetti is plural for “spaghetto” which is the Italian word for one piece of the pasta. “Spaghetto” literally means “twine” or “thin string” Spaghetti is quite popular and can be found just about anywhere in the world.

Vermicelli

When eating this pasta, try not to think about it, but its name literally means “little worms” in Italian. It is long and round and thinner than spaghetti. There is a version that is thicker and called Vermicelloni but is it still thinner than spaghetti and it is harder to find.

Capellini

This long and round pasta is thinner than spaghetti and vermicelli and its name literally means “thin hair.” In fact, you may have more commonly heard of this pasta referred to as Angel Hair pasta.

Fettuccine

The name of this pasta literally means “little ribbons” in Italian and it looks like just that. Fettuccine is made from flour and eggs and it is a thick, very flat noodle. In authentic Italian dishes, fettuccine is often made fresh. You can find it dried in your local grocery store and the dish made with this pasta that is most common in fettuccine alfredo.

Linguine

This long strand of pasta is thin and flat, like a cross between spaghetti and fettucine. In Italian, linguine literally means “little tongues.” A popular dish with this pasta is linguine and clams, or linguine al vongole

Uses: Fun and Creative!
Materials:

• Any kind of dried pasta
• Glue - a hot glue gun works best but if your little artist is too young to handle it, try Tacky Glue, which can be bought at any craft store. Regular glue will work but it is harder to work with because it takes a lot longer to dry.
• A creative mind!

What to Do/Procedure:

• Glue the various shapes of clue together to make any three dimensional design that you want. Check back soon for n example of a 3-D dried pasta car!

Uses: Fun and Creative! It’s like sponge painting, but better!
Materials:

• Any kind of dried pasta
• Paint
• Construction paper
• A creative mind!

What to Do/Procedure:

• Put a little paint into a shallow bowl or even onto a plate.
• Take a piece of dried pasta and dip it into the paint.
• Press the dried pasta onto the paper and take it off to see the print it made.
• Repeat the third step many times and with any kind of dried pasta that you wish. You can make a picture of something you like or you can simply make an abstract piece of art!

Uses: Fun and creative!
Materials:

• Dried pasta of any shape, size, or color.
• Construction paper
• Paint
• Crayons

What to Do/Procedure:
Use the paint or crayons and any dried pasta that you want to make the best picture that you can! The more you use your imagination, the better. You’ll soon realize that all the shapes of pasta can make some very familiar things! Here are some ideas…

• House
• Boat
• Dog
• Cat
• Giraffe
• Any animal!
• Beach scene
• School
• Flag
• Truck
• Anything you want!