Last updated on October 30, 2023
Tortiglioni is a type of Italian pasta with the size and structure of rigatoni, but with the ridges arranged in a helix shape. The thick dough makes tortiglioni perfect with the traditional sauces of central Italy: we prepare the recipe with carbonara, step by step.
Tortiglioni is a type of Italian pasta in the shape of a short tube, about 4 cm long and 2 cm in diameter.
It is one of the most classic Italian pasta shapes and is traditionally combined with rigatoni, because their shape and size are similar: the difference is in the grooves, 🔊 rigatura in Italian.
The grooves of the tortiglioni are wide and soft and wrap around the dough like a helix or a spiral. A tortiglione actually looks like a twisted rigatone.
The mouthfeel is very different, as is the way the tortiglioni holds the sauce.
The classic shape of the tortiglioni makes them a type of pasta that is suitable for almost all types of sauces: on this page we have them prepared with tortiglioni with carbonara sauce, one of the classic dishes of the culinary tradition of central Italy.
Carbonara is one of the most famous Italian sauces. It is usually prepared together with spaghetti, with the typical dish Spaghetti alla Carbonara.
This typical sauce from the regions of central Italy is also very popular with short pasta: rigatoni, or tortiglioni that we use in our recipe.
As always with All Italian we stick to the «original» recipe, but we also make it realistic.
In the case of Carbonara, this means two things:
We use pancetta instead of guanciale, also because the latter is difficult to find outside Italy
We don't use whipped cream, only egg yolks.
In this recipe we focus on cooking the tortiglioni, and how to mix it with the sauce we are preparing at the same time.
👉 Here a detailed preparation of the sauce.
| Ingredient image | Ingredient name | Cups | Grams | Ounces |
|
Tortiglioni | 12.7 oz | 360 g | |
|
Pancetta cubes (or Guanciale) | 7 oz | 200 g | |
|
Pecorino Romano cheese | 5.3 oz | 150 g | |
|
Egg yolk | 5 yolks | ||
|
Black Pepper | 1 pinch | ||
|
Extra Virgin Olive Oil | 4 tablespoons |
In Italy we consider 80 - 100 grams (2.8 oz - 3.5 oz) of dried pasta as an average portion. That is why we indicate 3.2 oz / 90 grams of tortiglioni per person in our recipe.
For every 100 grams / 3.5 oz of pasta we use 1 liter / 1 US quart of cooking water; this amount of water is sufficient for any type of dried pasta, even long pasta like spaghetti, so we don't use it in excess.
In addition, we add 0.35 oz / 10 grams of coarse salt per liter of cooking water.
A few simple tricks to prevent the tortiglioni from sticking while cooking:
Use a large cooking pot, leaving space between the tortiglioni;
Stir briefly as soon as you add the pasta to the cooking water, and occasionally during cooking.
Pasta sauces in Italy are a topic of discussion that is taken very seriously.
In the version considered «official» in Italy, Carbonara is made with guanciale, the part of the pig between the neck and the cheek, typical of central Italy and also included in the sauces Amatriciana and Gricia.
Guanciale is very fatty and, melted, makes for the very creamy pasta alla carbonara you see on the internet.
But in most of Italy, the carbonara is made with pancetta: because it is less fat, because it is easier to find, and because it seems that carbonara was originally made with the becon, and thus with a kind of pancetta.
Pour cold water into a large saucepan and heat over medium heat.
Pour the olive oil in a frying pan and heat over medium heat.
Add the pancetta and cook for a few minutes. The fat melts and the color of the pancetta turns a lighter pink.
If the pancetta is well browned before it burns, remove the pancetta cubes from the pan and place them in a bowl.
They should be added to the sauce in the following steps.
When the water boils, add the salt. Stir, and when the water starts boiling again add the tortiglioni.
Stir briefly to prevent the tortiglioni from sticking. Do not cover the pot while cooking the pasta, or the salted water will overflow.
While the tortiglioni are cooking, we prepare the sauce.
Place the yolks in a bowl and gradually add the finely grated Pecorino, while continuing to mix.
Add a little cooking water to the mixture: it is rich in starch and makes the sauce creamier.
You get a homogeneous mixture that forms the basis of the Carbonara sauce.
Taste the tortiglioni: when they are ready, put them in a pan with a slotted spoon.
Add the egg-cheese mixture, pancetta, pepper and mix everything gently.
👉 At this point we advise not to heat pasta and sauce, because the egg contained therein must not solidify.
Add a sprinkling of grated pecorino, a little more black pepper and serve.
Your tortiglioni alla Carbonara is ready. Buon appetito! 🍝
In the restaurant in Italy, when you finish eating, the waiter will ask: 🔊 andava tutto bene? (was everything fine?)
In Italian something torto is something twisted. And therefore a tortiglione is a twisted rigatone.
The Italian words we use on this page:
| 🔊 Tortiglioni | Tortiglioni |
| 🔊 Pasta Italiana | Italian pasta |
The grooves also add thickness to the pasta, making it more enjoyable to chew, especially when it is «al dente». That is to say, still a little dry on the inside, as we eat it in Italy.
With such a thick type of pasta, such as bucatini, Italians like to eat equally rich sauces : Amatriciana, carbonara and gricia containing guanciale or pancetta are particularly suitable.
Ragù is also an excellent combination with tortiglioni; the most famous outside Italy is likely the Bolognese, but there are other kinds, for example the ragù alla Genovese which is typical of Naples, without tomato and with lots of onion.
In Italy we also like to eat tortiglioni simply with tomato and basil, especially with San Marzano tomatoes which we always recommend to make a better sauce, which you can also find outside Italy as peeled tomatoes.
On this page we prepared tortiglioni alla carbonara: we share ingredients and step-by-step instructions.
Just as with rigatoni, tortiglioni has no real region of origin.
This type of pasta, which we now eat mainly dried in Italy, is made with durum wheat 🔊 semolina: the ingredient with which pasta is traditionally made in southern Italy, dried or fresh.
The ridges on the pasta (🔊 rigatura in Italian) do not have only have an aesthetic function, but also serve to strengthen the structure and hold the piece of pasta together during cooking.
Moreover, the sauce lies in the grooves - especially tomato sauce, or ragù or sauces with cream - and mixes better with the pasta.
We wrote that a 🔊 tortiglione looks like a twisted 🔊 rigatone, because of the «helix» way the grooves are arranged. But this is not the only difference.
The grooves of the rigatoni are straight, from one end of the pasta tube to the other, and have square corners.
Instead, the grooves of the tortiglioni are wider, curved and softer, more harmonious and without the square corners of the rigatoni.
We don't notice that there is a big difference in mixing with the sauce: the diameter of the rigatoni and tortiglioni pasta tube is similar, and in Italy we eat them with the same sauces.
We frequently update our pages on Italian pasta with new classic and regional traditional recipes.
I am Italian from Trentino. I studied philosophy in Padua and worked for many years between Milan and Amsterdam in the field of media and culture.
Since 2021 I write on All Italian to practice foreign languages; meanwhile I share with you the customs and traditions of my country, and the recipes that I prepare at home.