Rigatoni

Rigatoni is a group of large pasta tubes that are ribbed on the outside and served with meat ragù or other strong sauces, or baked in the oven. All of the various pasta shapes included in this group are quite large, being about 5-6 cm (2-2½ inch) in length and 1-2 cm (¼-¾ inch) in diameter. Rigatoni is only produced commercially as a dried pasta.

Because of its huge size, rigatoni is most popular in southern Italy. There it is eaten mostly on Sunday, dressed with a slow-cooked tomato sauce in which a large piece of beef has also been cooked. The meat is sliced and eaten as part of the second course with vegetables. Rigatoni is also eaten with a simple tomato sauce or baked in the oven to make timbales. Variations include giganti, maniche, schiaffoni, millerighe, tortiglioni and paccheri, meaning ‘a slap in the face’. See also Chifferi.