What Is Conchiglie piccole pasta and How Can I Use It?
Here's everything worth knowing about conchiglie piccole pasta and how to pick it, what it is, how to store it, and what to use instead, plus 2 recipes to cook tonight.
Key Points
- Conchiglie piccole means small shells: ridged, cupped durum pasta meant to eat by the spoonful.
- The cups scoop sauce and small solids, so they suit soup, salad, and creamy bakes.
- Boil to al dente, around 9 to 11 minutes, and pull early before soup or a bake.
- A thin oil dressing slides through; overcooking collapses the cups so they hold nothing.
- These are the same thing as small pasta shells; jumbo stuffing shells are a different product.
What is conchiglie piccole pasta?
Conchiglie piccole is the small size of conchiglie, the ridged, cupped seashell pasta. "Piccole" is Italian for "little," so the name simply means small shells: short curved pieces of durum wheat with a hollow pocket and a ridged outer surface.
The shape does the work. Each little cup scoops up sauce and small solids, while the ridges grip whatever coats them, so a bite carries flavor instead of leaving it at the bottom of the bowl. This small size is made to eat by the spoonful, not to stuff.
How to Use Conchiglie Piccole
Small shells belong in soup, salad, and creamy bakes. In a brothy soup they hold their shape and catch beans and diced vegetables in the cup.
Cold, they make a sturdy pasta salad, as in this Curried Shrimp & Macaroni Salad, where the ridges hang onto the dressing.
They also bake well with cheese and a filling-style sauce, the idea behind a dish like Creamy Stuffed Pasta Shells, where the cups cradle a rich, cheesy mixture.
Boil them to al dente, usually 9 to 11 minutes, and pull them a minute early when they are headed into soup or a bake, since they keep cooking in the hot liquid. For the general boiling and saucing method, see the pasta guide.
Pairing and Common Mistakes
Match the shell to the sauce. Small shells want chunky or creamy sauces carrying bits that can nest inside the cup, like a meaty marinara or a bean soup. A thin oil dressing slides straight through and leaves them bland.
The usual mistake is overcooking. Cooked past al dente, the cups go slippery and collapse, so they no longer hold anything. Keep them firm, especially when they will sit in hot soup or finish in the oven.
Substitutes
Elbow macaroni or cavatappi swap in cleanly for soup and salad, since both are small and curved enough to grab sauce. Orecchiette is the closest in spirit, because it is also a little dome that scoops.
Do not reach for jumbo stuffing shells here; those are a different product, meant to be filled and baked one at a time. Note that conchiglie piccole and the small size of pasta shells are the same thing under two names, so either works in any of these dishes.
Buying and Storage
Small shells are sold dried in boxes, often labeled conchigliette or simply small shells, near the soup pasta. Sealed and dry, they keep for a year or more in a cool, dark cupboard away from heat and humidity.
Look for a slightly rough, matte surface; bronze-die pasta has more texture for sauce to cling to than slick, glossy shells. Once a box is open, fold the bag closed or move the shells to a jar so they stay dry.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 贝壳piccole面食
- British (UK) term
- Conchiglie piccole pasta
- en français
- conchiglie piccole pâtes
- en español
- Pastas piccole conchiglie
Recipes using conchiglie piccole pasta
There are 2 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Curried Shrimp & Macaroni Salad
A simple but delicious dish that's perfect to make when you don't have a lot of time to prepare dinner.
Creamy Stuffed Pasta Shells
Stuffed pasta shells packed with sausage, chicken, and mushrooms, smothered in Mornay sauce. Made in the microwave for a quick Italian-style dinner in individual gratin dishes.
