Penne: Recipes, Best Sauces, and Ideas

Few people know that it was the Genoese who invented penne in the 19th century and named them that way because the two slanted cuts at the ends resembled the fountain pens of the time. Since then, we've witnessed a fierce tug-of-war between the two main short-cut pasta shapes: penne or macaroni? But whether smooth or ridged, wide or narrow, the classic long version or the short one—penne—this pasta has been the protagonist of countless recipes since its creation.

Penne all'arrabbiata

It's truly difficult to find a sauce that doesn't showcase this shape, especially since the unique oblique cut at the ends of the penne makes it easier for the sauce to penetrate during mixing; the sauce seeps into the holes and easily reaches the heart of the pasta.

Now that we've revealed the secret that makes them special, let's look at the recipe that made this shape exclusive: traditional penne all'arrabbiata.

To prepare a good plate of penne all'arrabbiata you need:

pasta: strictly penne,

peeled tomato in pieces or puree,

extra virgin olive oil,

pecorino romano,

garlic and chili pepper.

The process is very simple and quick, making this recipe one of those first courses you can make when you don't have time to spend in the kitchen. Simply brown the garlic and chili pepper while the water for the pasta is boiling. Add the peeled tomatoes to the soffritto and season with a little salt. After tossing the pasta in the sauce, serve with a sprinkling of pecorino cheese.

A triumph of penne in a thousand recipes

While it's true that the first recipe that comes to mind when we say penne is penne all'arrabbiata, it's also true that there are thousands of ways to enhance this pasta shape. An extremely tasty dish is undoubtedly penne with scampi, a relatively easy first course to prepare, aside from cleaning the scampi. Who could forget the famous pennette with cream, peas, and speck, a quick recipe that requires very quick cooking to succeed—never overcook the cream. A first course that's a mix of land and sea is penne with octopus and peppers, a delight that combines creamy pepper soup with tenderized octopus and a touch of paprika.

For all other recipes, just browse our suggestions.