Ziti or Penne: Choosing the Right Pasta Tube

Ziti pasta holds a special place in Italian cuisine with its smooth, tube-like shape perfect for holding robust sauces.

This popular pasta variety comes from southern Italy, where families have enjoyed it for generations during Sunday dinners and celebrations.

Many home cooks appreciate ziti for its versatility in both baked dishes and simple weeknight meals.

The cylindrical design allows sauce to coat both inside and outside surfaces, creating a delightful taste experience with every bite.

With so many delicious possibilities, you can transform an ordinary meal into something extraordinary just by choosing this classic pasta shape.

Creamy Italian Penne Recipes to Make

Discover delicious and versatile ways to enjoy penne pasta with these classic recipes, each showcasing unique flavors and easy-to-follow cooking techniques perfect for any occasion.

• Penne alla Vodka: Creamy tomato sauce with vodka, garlic, and parmesan.
• Penne Arrabbiata: Spicy tomato sauce with garlic and chili flakes.
• Penne al Pesto: Penne tossed in fresh basil pesto sauce with pine nuts and parmesan.

Heartwarming Ziti Recipes For Everyone

These recipes combine rich sauces, melted cheese, and tender pasta to create satisfying dishes perfect for family dinners or special gatherings.

• Classic Baked Ziti: A timeless favorite featuring ziti pasta baked with marinara sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese for a gooey, flavorful casserole.
• Spicy Sausage and Ziti Bake: This recipe adds spicy Italian sausage to the mix, along with a zesty tomato sauce and plenty of melted cheese for a bold, savory dish.
• Veggie-Loaded Baked Ziti: Packed with colorful vegetables like bell peppers, spinach, and zucchini, this healthier twist keeps the creamy, cheesy goodness while adding fresh flavors and nutrients.

Substitution Tips in Recipes with Ziti and Penne

These below tips help you swap pastas without losing flavor or texture.

• Ziti and penne can usually replace each other; penne’s ridges add more texture.
• Other tubular pastas like rigatoni or casarecce work well as substitutes.
• Fresh pasta cooks faster and is softer than dried; adjust cooking times accordingly.
• Use smooth pasta (like ziti) for lighter or baked sauces; ridged pasta (like penne) for thick or creamy sauces.
• Adjust cooking times for different pasta sizes to avoid overcooking.

Top Brands to Buy Ziti and Penne

Here are five top brands where you can buy quality ziti and penne pasta:

• Barilla: One of the most popular pasta brands worldwide, known for its consistent quality and wide range of pasta shapes, including both ziti and penne.
• De Cecco: A premium Italian brand famous for its traditional drying methods and excellent texture, offering authentic ziti and penne.
• Rummo: Renowned for its slow-drying process, Rummo pasta holds up well in cooking and is available in both ziti and penne varieties.
• Garofalo: A respected Neapolitan brand with high-quality durum wheat pasta, offering both smooth ziti and ridged penne options.
• Rustichella d’Abruzzo: Artisan pasta maker producing handcrafted, bronze-cut pasta known for excellent sauce retention, including penne and ziti.

Got Questions? We’ve Got Solutions

1. Is ziti or penne pasta healthier?

Both ziti and penne have similar nutritional profiles since they're typically made from the same ingredients. The calorie count, protein, and carbohydrate content are nearly identical, so choose based on your sauce preference rather than nutrition.

2. Which pasta holds sauce better?

Penne typically holds sauce better due to its diagonal cut ends and ridged exterior (if you choose penne rigate). Ziti has straight-cut ends and is usually smooth, making it better for baked dishes where sauce can seep inside the tubes.

3. Can I substitute ziti for penne in recipes?

Yes! You can easily swap ziti for penne and vice versa in most recipes. The cooking times are similar, though check package instructions as they may vary slightly between brands.

4. Which pasta works best in baked dishes?

Ziti traditionally excels in baked dishes like baked ziti because its smooth exterior and straight-cut ends help it maintain structure during long baking times, while still absorbing flavor from the surrounding sauce.

The History of Pasta

Pasta, commonly linked with Italian cuisine, actually has origins in Chinese noodles according to most historians. Despite their common roots, pasta and noodles are quite distinct dishes.

True pasta comes from a mix of durum wheat, egg, and water, shaped in various forms, while Chinese noodles lack the durum wheat component which provides dried gluten.

Making pasta involves creating dough from these ingredients, then pressing, shaping, and cooking it with various sauces.

Marco Polo is often credited for introducing pasta to Italy centuries ago, though some experts dispute his role in its spread.

Regardless of who brought it over, Italians refined pasta recipes to perfection while Americans developed their own passion for this simple three-ingredient food that has become beloved worldwide.

Ziti vs. Penne: Pasta Twins with Secret Differences

Ziti and penne are both popular tubular pasta shapes, but they differ slightly in origin, size, cut style, and texture, which affects how they hold sauces and are used in recipes.

Check the table below to see how they are different.

Origin

Ziti has its roots in Sicily, Italy, and is famously associated with hearty baked dishes popular in the U.S., like baked ziti with tomato sauce and melted cheese.

Penne was invented in 1865 by Giovanni Battista Capurro from Genoa, who developed a diagonal-cutting machine allowing for two sizes of penne: mezze penne (shorter) and regular penne (longer). Penne gained widespread popularity through dishes like Penne alla vodka, with some historians crediting Americans for popularizing the recipe.

Appearance

Ziti is smooth, tubular pasta cut straight at the ends, typically about 2 inches long with slightly thicker walls, giving it a soft, creamy texture after cooking.

Ziti’s smooth texture yields a creamy softness, especially when baked, but thick sauces don’t cling well. It performs better with thinner sauces and vegetables.

Penne is similar in diameter and length but distinguished by its diagonal cuts and ridged (rigate) or smooth (lisce) texture. The ridges make penne firmer and better at holding sauces.

Penne’s ridged, angled shape traps and holds thick sauces like carbonara, pesto, and ragu, making it a versatile and favored pasta for many dishes.

Variations

Ziti is traditionally made in one standard shape - smooth, tubular pasta cut straight at the ends. It’s known for its consistent size and thickness, which helps it hold up well in baked dishes. Unlike penne, ziti doesn’t have many variations in texture or cut, so it stays fairly uniform across brands and recipes.

Penne, however, comes in a few popular variations. The two main types are penne lisce (smooth penne) and penne rigate (ridged penne). Ridged penne is more common and prized for its ability to hold onto sauces better, while smooth penne offers a softer texture.

Additionally, penne varies slightly in length, with “mezze penne” being a shorter version often used for salads or lighter dishes. These variations make penne a more versatile pasta option for different recipes and textures.

Cooking

Ziti and penne are both tubular pastas but differ slightly in cooking. Both are boiled in salted water until al dente - about 8-12 minutes for dried pasta and less for fresh.

For baked ziti dishes, it’s best to undercook the pasta slightly so it finishes cooking in the oven without becoming mushy.

Penne, with its ridged texture and diagonal cuts, holds sauces well and is often fully cooked before being tossed with thick or creamy sauces like pesto or arrabbiata.

Ziti’s smooth is perfect for baked dishes where it soaks up sauce and cheese, creating a creamy texture. Penne’s sturdy shape also works great in pasta salads or skillet recipes.

Both freeze well if cooked just short of done, preventing mushiness when reheated. Remember to salt the water, stir the pasta while boiling, and save some cooking water to adjust your sauce for the best results.

Use In Recipes

Ziti is a classic choice for baked dishes, where its smooth, tubular shape soaks up sauces and cheese beautifully. It’s ideal for casseroles like baked ziti, where the pasta combines with rich tomato sauce, ricotta, and melted mozzarella to create a comforting, creamy meal.

Ziti also works well in pasta salads and stir-fries with chunky vegetables, as its thicker walls hold up without becoming mushy.

Penne, known for its ridged texture and angled ends, is incredibly versatile and pairs perfectly with a wide range of sauces, especially thick, creamy, or chunky ones like Alfredo, pesto, or arrabbiata.

Its shape traps sauce in every bite, making it great for stovetop dishes, baked casseroles, and cold pasta salads. Penne also complements meat, seafood, and vegetable dishes, adding a satisfying texture and hearty feel to meals.

Dried and Fresh Ziti and Penne

Dried and fresh versions of both ziti and penne offer different cooking experiences and textures. Dried pasta is more common and convenient, with a longer shelf life and a firmer bite when cooked al dente, making it ideal for baked dishes like traditional baked ziti or hearty penne sauces.

Fresh pasta, while less widely available for these shapes, tends to cook faster and has a softer, more delicate texture that’s perfect for lighter preparations.

Fresh ziti and penne absorb sauces differently due to their moisture content; fresh versions soak up flavors quickly but can become mushy if overcooked, whereas dried pasta holds its shape better and provides a chewier texture.

Choosing between dried or fresh often depends on the recipe and desired texture, with dried being the go-to for most classic Italian dishes involving ziti and penne.

How to Make Fresh Ziti and Penne at Home?

Making fresh ziti and penne at home involves preparing a simple pasta dough from flour, eggs, and water, then shaping it into tubes.

For ziti, the dough is rolled out and cut into smooth, straight tubes, while penne requires cutting the tubes at a diagonal angle and often adding ridges by pressing with a ridged board or fork.

The fresh pasta cooks quickly and offers a tender, delicate texture perfect for sauces. Homemade versions allow customization of thickness and size, giving you a fresher taste than store-bought dried pasta.