Ziti Pasta vs Penne: Check the Ends, Then the Ridges

Ziti and penne sit next to each other on the shelf, often in boxes of the same color. Then a recipe calls for one just as the store runs out of it. They look close enough to swap, and mostly they are. The two checks below tell you when the swap will show on the plate and when nobody will notice.

What is the difference between ziti and penne?

Ziti and penne differ in two places. Ziti tubes are cut straight across and usually have a smooth outside. Penne tubes are cut on a slant, like the tip of a quill pen, and come either smooth (penne lisce) or ridged (penne rigate). Both are made from the same kind of durum wheat dough.

That gives you the two checks. Look at the ends first, then run a thumb along the outside. Here is how the three tubes you’re most likely to be choosing between compare, rigatoni included.

The slanted end opens the tube a little wider, so sauce gets in more easily. On top of a baked dish, those slanted tips are the bits that brown and turn crisp.

In parts of southern Italy, ziti is sold as long tubes that you break by hand before cooking. Most boxes in US stores are already cut short. For the rest of the tube family and where it fits among other shapes, see the guide to pasta shapes and names.

I tried Today’s Mealow, the app I build, with the location set to Chicago’s Loop. My answers: Western food, a good mood, big flavors, a table of friends. It came back with a jibarito steak sandwich, a smash burger and a pepperoni pizza. None of the three was pasta, so for that group the ziti or penne question never came up. It only starts once pasta has already won the night.

Can penne pasta be substituted for ziti?

Penne can be substituted for ziti in almost any recipe. The two are close in width and wall thickness, so they cook alike and hold the same amount of sauce inside. Use the same weight of pasta. Cook it by the time on the penne box, since thickness varies from one pasta maker to another.

Whether anyone notices depends on the dish.

• Baked under sauce and cheese. The swap hides. Once the pan comes out of the oven, the tubes are coated and bound together, and the cut of the ends hardly matters.
• Tossed with a chunky sauce. Still hard to spot. Chunks of sausage or vegetables carry the dish, and both shapes catch them.
• Tossed with a thin sauce. This is where it shows. A thin tomato or butter sauce slides off smooth ziti. Ridged penne holds it better, so the swap is an upgrade here.

The swap works the other way too. Out of penne for a recipe that wants it? Ziti will do, though in a thin sauce you’ll want to toss it a little longer in the pan so the sauce has time to cling.

What is the difference between rigatoni and penne?

Rigatoni is wider than penne, always ridged, and cut straight across instead of on a slant. The wider tube holds bigger pieces of meat sauce inside, and the thick walls keep their shape through a long bake. Penne is narrower and lighter, so it suits sauces with smaller pieces.

If the store has neither ziti nor penne, rigatoni is the best fallback for a baked dish. It’s sturdier than either, which helps if the pan sits in the oven a little longer than planned. For a light sauce with small bits, like a creamy tomato, penne stays the better pick, since a big rigatoni tube can feel like more pasta than sauce.

In parts of the Midwest you may also see mostaccioli on the shelf or on a menu. It’s a smooth, slant-cut tube, which makes it penne lisce under another name.

Is baked ziti still baked ziti if you use penne?

Baked ziti made with penne is still called baked ziti. The name refers to the dish: short tubes mixed with tomato sauce and cheese, then baked until the top browns. The shape inside can be ziti, penne or rigatoni. If the shape matters to you, ask before you order.

That matters most when you’re reading a menu. “Baked ziti” tells you how the dish is made, cheesy and cut into a portion like a slab. “Penne” on a menu usually tells you the opposite: pasta tossed with a sauce on the stove and served loose. On a menu, then, pick by the kind of plate you want:

• Want something rich, cheesy and crusty at the edges? Order the baked ziti.
• Want the sauce to be the star? Order a penne dish, and read what it’s tossed with.

Not sure pasta is the right dinner at all? Spin the dinner wheel a few times first and see if pasta keeps landing.

What are some common ziti mistakes?

The most common ziti mistakes happen before the pan goes into the oven. Cooking the pasta all the way through on the stove leaves it soft once baked. Too little sauce leaves the top dry, because the pasta keeps soaking it up in the oven. Rinsing washes off the starch that helps sauce stick.

1. Pull the pasta early. Drain it while the center is still firm. It finishes cooking in the oven.
2. Use more sauce than looks right. The mix should look a little loose going in. It tightens up as it bakes.
3. Don’t rinse. Drain and mix straight into the sauce while it’s hot.
4. Salt the water. The pasta is the bulk of the dish, and it can’t take on seasoning after it’s cooked.
5. Let it rest before cutting. Straight from the oven, the cheese is runny and the portions slump. A short rest lets them hold together.

These hold for penne and rigatoni too, since the dish works the same way whatever tube you use.

Not sure tonight is a pasta night? Today’s Mealow asks six questions, from the cuisine you want to what you skip, and picks 3 dishes from real places near you.

See tonight’s three picks

Should I use ziti or penne for mac and cheese?

For a baked mac and cheese with a crust, ridged penne is the better of the two. The ridges hold the cheese sauce on the outside, and the slanted tips crisp up on top. Smooth ziti works but lets thin cheese sauce run off. For a creamy stovetop version, either is fine.

Both are bigger than the usual mac and cheese shapes, so each forkful has more pasta and less sauce. Make the cheese sauce a little thinner than you would for small shapes, so it can get inside the tubes. If you’d rather eat out than cook tonight, the three-pin shortlist helps you pick a place nearby.