The difference
Pisarei vs Cavatelli
Both are small thumb-dragged dumplings with a hollow that grabs sauce, but pisarei are northern, from Piacenza, made with a dough of flour and breadcrumb that sets them apart from plain gnocchi. Cavatelli are southern and semolina, rolled into a curled shell. The breadcrumb dough is the pisarei signature, and the bean sauce of pisarei e fasò is its home.
Pisarei
- Family
- Hand-formed regional
- Size
- not yet measured
- Surface
- Textured
- Cook
- n/a
Wants: Bean and legume soups, Ragu, Tomato sauce

Cavatelli
- Family
- Hand-formed regional
- Size
- not yet measured
- Surface
- Textured
- Cook
- 15 to 18 min
Wants: Sausage ragu, Broccoli rabe, Tomato sauce
Compare more shapes, or look up Pisarei and Cavatelli in full.
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