The difference
Penne vs Ziti
Both are tubes for baked dishes and chunky sauces, but penne is cut on the diagonal to a point and usually ridged, while ziti is a longer smooth tube cut straight across. Penne grabs more sauce on its ridges, ziti bakes up sleeker in a casserole.
Penne
- Family
- Tubes
- Size
- 48 to 50 mm long
- Surface
- Ridged
- Cook
- 10 to 12 min
Wants: Arrabbiata, Vodka sauce, Tomato sauce
Ziti
- Family
- Tubes
- Size
- 40 to 50 mm long
- Surface
- Smooth
- Cook
- 8 to 12 min
Wants: Neapolitan ragu, Genovese, Besciamella
Keep exploring
See the full profiles for Penne and Ziti, or compare more shapes.
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From the Almanac
Updates from Pasta Almanac, when there is something worth sharing.