Giada De Laurentiis' Favorite Pasta Has A Unique Name And A Unique Shape

Most of us are all too familiar with long pasta like linguine and spaghetti, or tube pasta such as elbow macaroni and penne, but did you know there are roughly 350 different shapes to choose from? While all of them might not be available at the local market, many people have a preferred shape they'll turn to time and time again. On X, Italian-American celebrity chef, writer, and entrepreneur Giada De Laurentiis posted that one of her favorite pastas is nodi marini.

Shaped like a loose spiral, nodi marini resemble the sailor's knots they're named for. De Laurentiis' own pasta brand, Giadzy, makes nodi marini in Abruzzo, Italy, but the same shape has different names in other parts of the country. In Campania, the city that lays claim to the pasta shape's origin, they call it vesuvio, named after the still-active volcano Mount Vesuvius that overlooks Naples. And in Apulia (also called Puglia), it's called molloni or "springs."

Different pasta shapes are suited for different sauces or recipes, and nodi marini is no exception. Just as you would select a long round pasta for a simple, classic bucatini cacio e pepe, nodi marini with its curled yet open shape is the perfect carrier for a meaty bolognese or ragù. Giada De Laurentiis' company, Giadzy, also recommends combining cooked nodi marini with sauteed veggies, cut to the same size, and tossed with lemon juice and lots of Parmesan cheese.

Because of its unique shape, nodi marini would be equally ideal for a salmon dill pasta salad, as well as your favorite baked macaroni and cheese recipe. While Giada De Laurentiis would be pleased if we all bought our nodi marini from Giadzy, it is also available online from brands such as Pennsylvania-born DeLallo Foods and Sfoglini Pasta in New York. If all else fails, you can use a similar shape such as rigatoni or even penne as a substitute.