What Is Pasta, twist and How Can I Use It?
Pasta, twist rewards a little know-how: how to choose it, cook it, store it, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 5 recipes to cook with it.
Key Points
- Pasta twists are short spiral shapes: fusilli, rotini, gemelli, and spirelli.
- The grooves trap chunky sauces, pesto, and small bits far better than strands.
- A go-to for cold pasta salad, since the shape holds dressing and stays separate.
- Thin oil-only sauces slide off; twists need something with texture to grip.
- Dried twists cook in about 9 to 12 minutes; any twist swaps for another.
What is pasta, twist?
Pasta twists are short, spiraled pasta shapes. The name is the catch-all for the corkscrew and helix family that includes fusilli, rotini, gemelli, and spirelli.
This is a sturdy, everyday shape, not one specific cut.
The spiral is the whole point. Those grooves and curls trap sauce, oil, and small bits of meat or vegetable, which is why twists carry chunky sauces far better than a smooth strand or a flat ribbon.
How to Use Them
Twists are built for sauces with texture. A pesto packs into the spirals and clings, as in this tuna pesto and pasta, and a chunky vegetable sauce catches in the curls, like broccoli sauce with pasta twists.
They are also a natural for pasta salad. The shape holds dressing and stays separate when cold, so twists are a go-to for a make-ahead cold salad where long strands would clump.
A bright, fresh tomato sauce works too, like pasta with cherry tomato sauce, where the bursting tomatoes lodge in the spiral.
Where they fall short is under a thin, slick oil-only sauce. With nothing chunky to grip, the sauce just slides off the smooth outer curve and pools.
Cooking and Substitutes
Most dried twists cook in about 9 to 12 minutes, a little longer than strands because the shape is thicker and denser. Cook them al dente, since a spiral that goes too soft loses its springy bite.
Any twist swaps for any other. Fusilli, rotini, gemelli, and spirelli all trade in freely. Penne or farfalle work too when you want a different short shape that still grabs a chunky sauce.
Buying and Storing
Dried pasta twists keep a year or two sealed in a cool, dry cupboard, same as any dried pasta. The shape is hard to break in the box, which makes it forgiving to store and ship.
Bronze-die twists have a rougher surface that grips sauce even better than the smooth supermarket kind.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 面食，扭曲
- British (UK) term
- Pasta, twist
- en français
- pâtes, torsion
- en español
- pasta, giro
Recipes using pasta, twist
There are 5 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Pasta Primavera for Two
This low-fat pasta recipe isn't low in flavour. Packed full of veggies and low-fat ham enveloped in a light sauce it's such to satisfy.
Broccoli Sauce with Pasta Twists
Broccoli sauce with pasta twists made with mushrooms, garlic, and a light creamy sauce using skim evaporated milk instead of cream. A low-fat vegetarian pasta dinner with real body.
Pasta with Cherry Tomato Sauce
Vegan pasta with pureed cherry tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar, and miso for deep umami flavor. Oil-free, dairy-free, and rich-tasting without any cream.
Tuna Pesto & Pasta
Quick tuna pesto pasta with basil pesto, Parmesan, green peas, and fat-free mayo tossed with twist noodles. A lighter take on creamy pesto pasta that comes together in one skillet.
