Italian pasta known as fusilli, pronounced “foo-SILL-ee,” is fashioned like little springs or curling spirals. Since the pasta trap sauce grooves, fusilli are frequently served with more decadent sauces like meat sauces and heavy cream sauces. “fusilli” derives from the word “Fuso,” which means spindle. The pasta strips are traditionally spun into a spiral shape using a spindle rod.
Short-cut, twisted pasta known as “fusilli” is typically served with sauce or in pasta salads. Fusilli are made from semolina flour. It costs around the same as similar pasta. Although it is frequently sold dried, specialty shops occasionally carry new versions. The traditional method for giving pasta its curly shape after rolling out the dough is to spin it around a rod or wire. Because of this, making it at home requires some skill.
When combined with thick, creamy sauces and dressings, fusilli forms a delicious pasta meal. As was already said, the pasta’s distinctive shape makes it more aesthetically pleasing while holding more sauce in each mouthful. Fusilli can be prepared as a delicious cold salad or baked while being layered with sauces, meat, and cheeses.
Substitute for Fusilli
To begin with, you can choose from the available colored options and even go with fusilli lunghi, fusilli bucati, or fusilli lunghi bucati. But what if there aren’t any fusilli on hand? Do you have any other options?
If neither of those work, don’t worry. We’re confident you can discover the ideal alternatives for both fusilli and their numerous variations among the more than 50 varieties of pasta we provide.
The ability of the pasta to hold the sauce properly is one of the essential qualities to look for when choosing the best alternative for fusilli. To attain the same outcomes, search for a similar shape and the existence of spirals, ridges, nooks, and crannies.
Among the most popular alternatives are:
Gemelli
Gemelli is an Italian pasta shape that means “twins,” A single S-shaped strand of pasta was folded in half and coiled over itself to create the dish traditionally. Another way to make it is to cut the strand in half, then twist each half around the other.
The strips are joined with adhesive to create a single piece of dough that resembles fusilli. It works well with salads and casseroles and is a perfect alternative to fusilli because of its form and similar twisting character.
Cavatappi
Cavatappi is pasta shaped like a spiral tube. Corkscrews are known as cavatappi in Italian. Other names for it include tortiglione, spirali, serpentini, amori, and cellentani. Contrary to popular belief, cavatappi is not the same pasta shape as the frequently misidentified “corkscrew pasta,” also known as fusilli, rotini, eliche, girandole, tortiglioni, or spirali.
Fusilli is distinguished from cavatappi by having a flat, twisted shape as opposed to a hollow tube. Cavatappi is typically marked by surface ridges or lines called “rigati” in Italian.
Cavatappi is a hollow pasta with a thick structure similar to macaroni made without using eggs. It can be yellow, like most pasta, or it might be made green or red by adding veggies or food coloring. It may be used in other meals, such as salads, soups, and casseroles.
Fusilli, especially bucatini fusilli, can be easily replaced with cavatappi because they both have hollow shapes. Unlike rotini, cavatappi is more extensive and has grooves that may hold pieces of meat, vegetables, and rich sauce.
Radiatori
Radiatori, a type of small, squat pasta, are named after radiators. Although it is thought that an industrial designer invented them in the 1960s, the truth is that they were developed between the First and Second World Wars.
Because their shape complements more decadent sauces, they are frequently used in meals that also call for rotelle or fusilli. They can also be found in soups, salads, and casseroles. The shape is also known as pagoda pasta.
Radiatori is a type of pasta that has the appearance of a home radiator. It has ruffled edges and is shorter and thicker than fusilli. It can be used for salads, casseroles, soups, and meals requiring thicker sauces because of its distinctive shape.
Penne
The pasta called “penne” is extruded and has cylinder-shaped segments with angled ends. The word “pen” is cognate with the Latin word “penna,” which means “feather” or “quill” in Italian. Penne’s singular form is penna, which translates to feather in English. This format was designed to follow the steel nibs of the then-commonplace fountain pen.
Penne is quite popular and used in many different cuisines. It gets its name from the distinctive shape that makes it appear like a pen. It has a vast surface area, is sliced at an angle, and has lots of inside space for sauces and other ingredients. Like fusilli, penne pasta is widely used in baked casserole recipes and combines well with chunky meat, veggies, and sauces.
Rigatoni
It’s believed that rigatoni, a type of pasta with tubes of varying lengths and diameters, originated in Italy. They may have a slight curvature and are more significant than penne and ziti. In contrast to penne, rigatoni’s ends are square (perpendicular) to the tube walls rather than being cut diagonally. Rigatoni is characterized by having ridges down their length, occasionally spiraling around the tube.
The term rigato, which means “ridged,” is where the name rigatoni comes from. It is similar to penne and is made of tiny, hollow tubes, but it is more comprehensive and has ridges on the outside. It is an excellent alternative to fusilli because the pores and ridges in the pasta help the sauce stick to it.
Rigatoni is excellent for baked pasta dishes that require cheese to stick to it. So now you know what kind of pasta to choose if you want an excellent, cheesy meal.
Rotini
Due to its distinctive corkscrew-like shape, “rotini” means “little wheels” in Italian. Except for the tight spaces between its spirals, it is incredibly similar to fusilli. Like other pasta varieties, rotini is created from wheat and water. Other variations, however, are available that are made with whole wheat flour, brown rice, and other grains.
Produced initially as spirals with two edges, rotini is now offered with three edges. Like regular pasta, it is prepared by cooking it for a short time in salted boiling water. Due to its compact structure, rotini may retain tastes better and is frequently served in salads with tomato-based sauces.
Fusilli can be substituted for rotini, and rotini can be used for fusilli. Due to their similarity, rotini and fusilli are frequently misidentified in the US. Both are equally effective at trapping sauces, creams, and other components because they both have shapes and lengths that are almost identical, with only a slight difference.
Fusilli vs Rotini
Similar in shape, fusilli and rotini add flavor and textural variety to foods like salads, soups, and baked pasta. They are similar in shape, which is why people frequently confuse them. In many US stores, fusilli is frequently referred to as rotini. They go very well with sauces like pesto, tomato, and seafood because of their form, which enables them to hold little pieces of cheese, vegetables, and meat.
Remember that rotini is extruded into tighter twists. At the same time, fusilli is formed by twisting pasta strands into a spring-like shape as the key to telling the two varieties of pasta apart.
One of their main differences is the gap in their corkscrew-like shape. Rotini has smaller gaps than fusilli, which allows it to retain sauces and other ingredients better.
Another distinction is their size, with rotini slightly shorter and more round than fusilli. Fusilli and rotini have a similar flavor when cooked with the same ingredients. But as was already noted, there are several kinds of fusilli; some of them are flavored and colored with natural components like spinach and beets.
Related Questions
After discussing the alternatives to fusilli, let’s address some queries we expected you would have while reading this post.
How do you store uncooked pasta?
Dry, uncooked pasta must be kept in a calm, dry environment like your pantry to keep it fresh for up to a year. It is best to use airtight boxes or containers to maintain freshness and ensure the pasta is consumed before its expiration date by adhering to the first-in, first-out principle.
Pasta that has been filled, like ravioli or tortellini, must be kept in the refrigerator and have a shorter shelf life than dry pasta.
How should pasta with sauce be stored after cooking?
If you’ve prepared pasta with sauce, you may separate the pasta and sauce and store them separately or combine the two before storing them in the fridge. The benefit of keeping them apart is that you’ll have more freedom later and can utilize the pasta or sauce for a totally different dish.
The combined pasta and sauce can be kept in the fridge without trouble, but it needs to be eaten within a day or two because it can turn mushy. To make a more tasty dish, preserving the mixed pasta may be a good idea if you anticipate utilizing the pasta dish within that time frame.
This is because it allows the flavors to permeate the entire dish. All you need to do is squeeze out all the extra air before putting it in an airtight bag or container.
Hiiii! My name is Ruth and I am an experienced chef with a passion for food and cooking. My love of baking began when I was nine, and I have since been refining my skills in the kitchen ever since.
