Cavatelli Pasta

Shape – short pasta in the form of hot dog buns with a hole in the center. The size of 20-100 mm in length.

Cooking time – 10-12 minutes (until ready).

Cavatelli is suitable for dairy, cheese, and thick meat sauces, stews.

Briefly about Cavatelli Pasta

What does Cavatelli pasta look like 📏 The shape of Cavatelli pasta

Cavatelli has an elongated shape with a hollow cavity formed by pressing with your finger. This pasta is similar to tiny hot dog buns. They range in size from 2 to 10 cm.

What is Cavatelli | Description of the Pasta

Cavatelli is short, handmade pasta that is traditionally made from semolina flour and water. They are shaped like little shells or crescents and are often used in soups and stews as well as in baked pasta dishes. Cavatelli in Italian means “little indentations,” referring to a depression in the center of the pasta. This pasta is considered one of the oldest types of pasta.

Pasta cavatelli is thought to have originated in the southern regions of Italy, most likely in Puglia and Calabria. It is a type of pasta that has been enjoyed for centuries and is still popular in Italian cuisine today.

Pasta is famous throughout Southern Italy and is traditional in Abruzzo, Campania, Basilicata, Calabria, and Sicily. But it is worth noting that there are different varieties and local names of cavatelli in each region. For example, orecchie di prete (priest’s ears), pizzicarieddi, parmatieddi, Sardinian dumplings (malloreddus), cictielli.

There is a legend that in the olden days, the bride-to-be’s mother-in-law used to check her fingertips. This way she wanted to make sure how well the bride was using her hands for work. This was a sure sign that she could cook cavatelli and therefore would make an excellent wife.

How to pronounce Cavatelli

The word Cavatelli is pronounced as [cah-vah-TELL-lee].

Peculiarities of the pasta Cavatelli

One of the unique features of cavatelli pasta is its texture – slightly chewy and slightly dense, making it ideal for soaking up rich and flavorful sauces.

Cavatelli is made from four ingredients: durum wheat flour, semolina, warm water, and a pinch of salt. It is usually made by hand by rolling out the dough with one, five, or eight fingers.

Classic cavatelli from Puglia and Molise are traditionally made by rolling the dough into long strings. It is then cut into 4-5 cm long pieces. These are formed into cavatelli by pressing three middle fingers of one hand into each piece of dough to create a cavity. However, cavatelli is made shorter in some parts of southern Italy, using only the index and middle fingers or only the index finger. For example, Calabrian cavatelli, known in the local dialect as “cavatedchi,” is made using only the index finger. Some regions make enlarged versions, doubling the length to about 10 cm. Nowadays, such a paste is made with a knife or machine.

What does Cavatelli go with

Cavatelli pasta is usually served with a variety of sauces, including tomato, meat and cream. It is also commonly served with vegetables such as broccoli, spinach and zucchini, as well as seafood such as clams and mussels. Not only can cavatelli pasta be served with soups and stews, but it can also be baked into casseroles and served as a main course.

Some of the best sauces for cavatelli pasta include:

• Tomato-based sauces: Pasta cavatelli pairs well with both classic tomato sauces and more complex sauces that include various vegetables and herbs.
• Meat sauces: Cavatelli pasta is a great choice for hearty meat sauces such as bolognese.
• Cream-based sauces: Cavatelli pasta is also a good choice for cream-based sauces, such as Alfredo or a rich, creamy mushroom sauce.

How it’s served pasta Cavatelli

Cavatelli is traditionally served with different ingredients from region to region:

1. Napirmer, in Molise, this pasta has long been an essential part of the family menu of Sunday dinners. At these, cavatelli were served with pork sausage as a stew. It is a hearty salty sauce based on pork ribs, sausages, and tomato pulp.
2. Another traditional dish in Molise with this pasta is the “widow’s sauce.” It has only butter, a piece of lard, parsley, fresh tomatoes, and basil.
3. A typical breakfast in Abruzzo and Molise is cavatelli with ragu di ventricina (ragu di ventricina).
4. In Basilicata, the classic way to serve cavatelli is with dried sweet peppers (peperoni cruschi), breadcrumbs and chili peppers (peperoncino). Other traditional recipes include broccoli with rabe or oyster mushrooms with local meat sauce (ragu Luciano).
5. In Puglia, where this pasta is also called “cicelli,” cavatelli is eaten with arugula and tomato or seafood. In Calabria, the ingredients used are nougat onions and tropea. In Sicily, eggplant, tomatoes, and ricotta.

⏲️ Cooking time | How long to cook Cavatelli

🗒️ Calories and Nutritional Value

🧑‍🍳 Best recipes with cavatelli pasta

Not only is cavatelli pasta a delicious and versatile type of pasta, but it’s also easy to make and can be found in most grocery stores. It’s a great choice for a quick and hearty meal that can be served in a variety of ways to suit your tastes. Whether you prefer cavatelli pasta with a simple tomato sauce or with a more complex and flavorful meat or cream sauce, this pasta is sure to please the whole family.

Cavatelli with ricotta, tomato sauce and Italian sausage

Cavatelli pasta is made with a simple dough consisting of flour, semolina and ricotta cheese and is similar in texture and shape to gnocchi. To make homemade cavatelli pasta, you start by mixing the flour, semolina and ricotta cheese in a large bowl to make a pasta dough. Knead the dough on a clean work surface until it is smooth and elastic. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

When the dough has rested, sprinkle the work surface with a little flour and roll the dough into a long rope. Cut the rope into small pieces and give each piece the characteristic shape of a cavatelli pasta shell. You can use a cavatelli board or fork if desired. Place the formed cavatelli on a baking sheet sprinkled with semolina flour to prevent them from drying out.

To prepare the cavatelli, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook the cavatelli until they float to the surface of the water, then remove them with a slotted skimmer and add them to your favorite pasta sauce. In this recipe it’s tomato sauce with Italian sausage, but you can choose another sauce you prefer, like alfredo sauce or a simple butter, cheese and vegetable sauce. You can also freeze leftover cavatelli or use them in a pasta salad. If you want to try making homemade cavatelli pasta, make sure you use the best ingredients and follow a reliable recipe for the best results.

Cavatelli with mushrooms and tagliolini with chickpeas

Cavatelli with lemon butter and sage – Vegetarian fresh pasta recipe

Vegetable Cavatelli – Pasta recipe with fresh corn cream

How to Make Cavatelli at Home

FAQ about cavatelli pasta

1. What is the difference between cavatelli and gnocchi?

   Cavatelli and gnocchi are both types of Italian pasta, but they are made with different ingredients and have different textures and shapes. Cavatelli is made with semolina flour and water and is shaped like small rolled up seashells or crescents. Gnocchi, on the other hand, are made from potatoes, flour and eggs and are shaped like small pillowy dumplings. Both cavatelli and gnocchi can be served with different sauces, but they have different textures and may go better with different kinds of sauces.

2. What is another name for cavatelli pasta?

   Cavatelli pasta is sometimes called “shell-shaped pasta” or “crescent-shaped pasta” because of its shape. Sometimes it is also called “cavatelli di grano arso”, which means “cavatelli made from burnt grain” in Italian. This name comes from the traditional way cavatelli pasta is made, in which semolina flour is boiled over a fire until it takes on a dark, burnt color.

3. What do Italians call cavatelli and how do you pronounce cavatelli?

   In Italy, cavatelli pasta is known as “cavatelli” or “cavatelli di grano arso,” which means “cavatelli of the burnt grain.” For Italian Americans and those who watched “The Sopranos”, these pasta shells are called gavatelli, pronounced [gah-vah-deels]. But they are spelled cavatelli and pronounced [kah-vah-tell-li] or [cah-vah-TELL-lee].

4. What is cavatelli pasta made of?

   Cavatelli pasta is traditionally made from semolina flour and water. Semolina flour is a type of wheat flour that is made from durum wheat with a high protein content. The flour is mixed with water to make a dough, which is then shaped into distinctive curls or crescents of cavatelli pasta. Some variations of cavatelli pasta may include other ingredients, such as eggs, cheese or herbs such as spinach.

5. What’s the best substitute for cavatelli pasta?

   If you can’t find cavatelli pasta in the store or are looking for another type of pasta to use in a recipe, some good cavatelli substitutes may include these types of pasta:
   Orecchiette: Orecchiette is another type of Italian pasta that is similar in shape to cavatelli, with a small, round shape and hollow center. Like cavatelli, it is made from semolina flour and water and can be used in a variety of dishes.
   Fusilli: Fusilli is a type of pasta that is made in the form of long, twisted spirals. It is a good substitute for cavatelli in baked pasta dishes, in soups or stews, as it holds up well to thicker sauces.
   Сampanelle: Сampanelle are a type of pasta shaped like little bells or flowers. They have a hollow middle and a ruffled edge, making them a good substitute for cavatelli in dishes where the shape of the pasta is a key part of the dish.

6. What kind of pasta is cavatelli?

   Cavatelli is a type of Italian pasta that is traditionally made with semolina flour and water. They are shaped like small, twisted shells or crescents and are often used in soups and stews as well as baked pasta dishes.

7. How many carbs are in cavatelli?

   One serving of cavatelli pasta (about 1 cup cooked) contains about 45 grams of carbohydrates.

8. What part of Italy is cavatelli from?

   Cavatelli pasta is thought to have originated in the southern regions of Italy, particularly Puglia and Calabria. It is a traditional pasta that has been enjoyed in Italy for centuries, and today it is still popular in Italian cuisine.

9. What is a serving of cavatelli?

   A serving of cavatelli pasta is usually about 1 cup of cooked pasta, which is equivalent to about 2 ounces of dry pasta. Such a serving contains about 200 calories, 7 grams of protein, and 42 grams of carbohydrates.

10. How long does frozen cavatelli keep?

    Frozen cavatelli pasta can be stored in the freezer for several months and remains safe to eat if stored at or above 0 degrees Fahrenheit. To defrost a dish, they can be placed in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight or reheated in the microwave on defrost mode. It is important to cook frozen cavatelli pasta immediately after defrosting, as repeated freezing and defrosting can make it difficult to chew and the dough itself will lose its original flavor.