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cavatelli

cavatelli

1 7.6
A small pasta shaped like a shell from southern Italy
  • noun
  • /ˌkævəˈtɛli/
translation icon : cavatelli
  • Cavatelli with Lamb Ragu at Artusi
  • cavatelli pasta
  • cavatelli with sausage
  • cavatelli and meatballs

Examples

  • Could I have the cavatelli, but without the chanterelle?

  • We also have homemade cavatelli with chanterelles and fiddlehead ferns.

  • I made your chicken and cavatelli soup last night, and it was a big hit.

    Blog text (9)
  • Every day he comes in here and eats a plate of a cavatelli with three meatballs.

  • Cavatelli?

  • Cavatelli?

  • I made your chicken and cavatelli soup last night, and it was a big hit.

  • Cook 1 lb of cavatelli pasta according to package directions.

  • We also have homemade cavatelli with chanterelles and fiddlehead ferns.

Synonyms

macaroni
vscavatelli
57 1.0

Short tube-shaped pasta often used in salads and casseroles

differs by being a solid small shell rather than a tube
ziti
vscavatelli
8 5.6

A short tube-shaped pasta often used in baked Italian dishes

is a small shell shape used fresh in southern Italy
fusilli
vscavatelli
3 2.9

A short pasta shaped like a spiral that holds sauce well

is not spiral shaped but a small curved shell
farfalle
vscavatelli
1 6.3

A pasta shaped like small bows with a pinched middle and wavy edges

is a simple shell shape rather than a decorative bow form
rotini
vscavatelli
1 3.5

A short spiral pasta that holds sauce well and people put in salads and pasta dishes

is a shell form rather than a twisted spiral
orecchiette
vscavatelli
1 8.9

A small round Italian pasta shaped like a little ear

is similar but is shell shaped from southern Italy
chiocciole
vscavatelli
9.9

A type of pasta shaped like a small snail shell

is also shell shaped but smaller and from southern Italy
ditalini
vscavatelli
5.6

A short tube-shaped pasta used in soups and salads

is not tubular but a tiny shell form instead
ditali
vscavatelli
4.2

A small tube-shaped pasta used in soups and salads

is a small shell shape rather than a hollow tube
mostaccioli
vscavatelli
  • US
9.9

A tube pasta like penne often baked with tomato sauce and cheese

is shell shaped and not a diagonal tube used for baking

How Curly

rotini
1 3.5
cavatelli
1 7.6
penne
9 2.4
spaghetti
153 1.0

Surface Forms

cavatelli singular
cavatelli plural

Etymology

Cavatelli comes from the Italian cavatello, a small form of cavare which means 'to hollow'. Think of the English word cave, a hollow space, and that helps explain the pasta's small hollow or shell shape, so the name matches its look.