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What Is Elbow Pasta?

Elbow pasta, sometimes called macaroni or elbow macaroni, is named for its recognizable shape. The tube pasta is curved (like an elbow) and comes in short lengths, forming hollow C shapes. It is commonly sold dried and is used to make everyone’s favorite dish, macaroni and cheese. The small, hollow pasta is good at capturing sauces and broths, making it more versatile than you might think.

The Origin Of Elbow Pasta And Its Brief History

Like many pasta varieties, the origins of elbow pasta are unclear since the fine art of making pasta goes back to ancient history. The word macaroni likely comes from Ancient Greece, but it referred to a different dish altogether. Mac and cheese made its first known appearance in English in 1390, though it is unlikely to be referring to elbow pasta.

Elbow pasta became more widespread after the industrialization of pasta manufacturing, which allowed the short, tubular shape to be formed with bronze dies on a large scale. In America and Britain, it’s popularly used to make macaroni and cheese (or macaroni cheese, as the British call it). In Italy, elbow pasta is more commonly used to make simple plated pasta dishes and is added to soups.

How Is Elbow Pasta Made And What Is It Made Of?

Elbow pasta is made using a mixture of semolina flour and water. The dough is pushed through a die which has a circular opening that forms small tubes. More force is used on one side than the other which causes the tubes to curl, making the signature elbow shape. The tubes are cut at regular intervals to make short elbows, then slowly dried before packaging for store sales.

How To Cook Elbow Pasta

To cook elbow pasta, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Season generously with salt—this will help infuse the pasta with flavor. We recommend five quarts of water and two tablespoons of sea salt per pound of pasta. Add the dried pasta to the boiling water and stir. Cook until al dente, 5 to 6 minutes, then drain the pasta in a colander. Use in your favorite recipe or top with sauce and serve.

If you’re making baked mac and cheese or adding elbow macaroni to a soup, consider cooking the pasta a minute short of al dente. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven or hot broth.

The Best Elbow Pasta - The DeLallo Difference

DeLallo elbow pasta is made in Italy using the finest durum wheat and spring water. The noodles are extruded using bronze dies, which provide a rough surface that clings to sauce, before drying slowly to provide the best flavor and al dente texture.

Elbow Pasta Recipes And Usage Ideas

Elbow pasta can be used for a variety of recipes. It’s best at capturing sauces and small ingredients thanks to its hollow center. You’re most likely to see it used for macaroni and cheese, whether it's a quick stovetop version or a baked variation. The pasta shape is great for other pasta bakes and pasta casseroles like this Chicken, Sausage and Pepper Macaroni recipe. It’s also frequently used in cold pasta salads, often called macaroni salad or elbow pasta salad. While plenty of different recipes exist, macaroni salad is often combined with a creamy dressing and is a popular side dish at barbecues.

Whether in a pasta bake, macaroni salad, simple saucy pasta dish, or soup, elbow pasta is a crowd-pleaser.

The Best Sauces For Elbow Pasta

When used to make macaroni and cheese, elbow pasta is stirred together with a creamy cheese sauce, most likely made using a roux, or a paste made of cooked flour and butter that is then used to thicken creamy sauces. This mixture is then served as-is for a stovetop version or topped with more cheese and perhaps breadcrumbs before being baked until bubbly.

While no can deny the deliciousness of mac and cheese, elbow pasta pairs nicely with a variety of other sauces. A meat sauce like a bolognese is a nice choice, since the tubes will catch the ground meat and tomato sauce, and can be turned into a pasta bake with a cheesy top. Various other pasta bakes with tomato, pesto, and cheese sauces also call for elbow pasta, as do pasta salads with creamy dressings.

Try preparing elbow (gomiti) pasta as the Italians do—a bit lighter—with fresh sauces and toppings like mussels, peas, tuna, and more.

Elbow Pasta Substitutes

If you don’t have elbow pasta on hand, other tubular pastas are commonly used as a substitute since they capture sauce in a similar way. Small shells, or conchiglie, as well as penne are common swaps when making macaroni and cheese. Even though shells are not tubular, they are very curved, capturing sauce and ingredients inside. Penne is longer and straight with a hollow center, offering a different texture that’s a bit more al dente.

Other options include cavatappi, a spiral cut, hollow pasta that is similar in width to elbow pasta (just much longer) and shellbows, a fun mix between shells and elbow pasta that’s ideal for capturing sauce.

DeLallo Elbow Pasta: FAQ

Where Did Elbow Pasta Come From?

Elbow pasta came from the same place as most Italian pastas, northern central Italy. Italians have been making various forms of pasta for hundreds of years, and over time the shapes evolved, especially once food production became industrialized. Elbow pasta is made using dies that form its signature shape, and mechanization made this process much easier.

Elbow pasta can now be found around the world used in various dishes, and is especially popular in the UK and America for making macaroni and cheese (or macaroni cheese).

Do Italians Eat Elbow Pasta?

Called gomiti in Italian, elbow pasta is eaten in Italy. Macaroni and cheese is not a popular dish in Italian cuisine; the pasta shape is instead used to make lighter dishes that are tomato or olive oil-based. It is also sometimes added to soups.

What Is The Shape Of Elbow Pasta?

Elbow pasta is named for its shape—the small tubes are bent, like an elbow. They look like hollow C’s or half-moons. This shape gives the pasta its signature texture and allows it to catch sauce, making for the perfect bite.

What Is The Closest Pasta To Elbow?

Elbow pasta, also called elbow macaroni or simply macaroni in the U.S., is a unique pasta shape. Cavatappi is one of the closest substitutes, since it has a similar diameter and hollow interior, but instead of being shaped like a C the pasta keeps going to form a corkscrew. Penne is often used as a swap for elbow pasta since it is hollow and catches sauce in a similar way, but the tubes tend to be bigger and ridged, resulting in a heartier texture. Shellbows is a shell-elbow hybrid and is a great swap for elbows as thicker, creamier sauce are easily captured in its curved tube and rigid exterior.

How Many Cups Of Elbow Pasta (Macaroni) Are In A Pound?

One pound of dried elbow macaroni measures out to between four and five cups of pasta. This yields roughly eight cups of cooked pasta, depending on the brand.

Elbow Pasta Vs Elbow Macaroni - What Is The Difference?

In America, the terms “elbow pasta” and “elbow macaroni” are used interchangeably and refer to the exact same pasta. There are slight differences in elbow pasta from manufacturer to manufacturer—the exact size and shape can differ, and some elbows have ridges on their exterior. But they are all small, hollow, tubular pasta with a half-moon shape.

Note that Italians refer to a long list of pastas as “maccheroni,” while in America we tend to only refer to elbow pasta as macaroni—largely thanks to mac and cheese.

Elbow Pasta Vs Cavatappi - What Is The Difference?

Elbow pasta and cavatappi are about the same diameter, made using a die with the same size hole. They are both hollow and can be used in similar dishes. However, while elbow pasta is trimmed after a single bend, creating a C shape, cavatappi is trimmed much longer, creating a distinctive corkscrew shape.

Learn more about cavatappi here.

Where To Buy DeLallo Elbow Pasta

Order DeLallo Elbow Pasta online in regular and whole-wheat varieties or find it at most major supermarkets across the country.