The Best Type Of Pasta To Fry Up For A Crunchy Snack

Fresh pasta is chewy and tender, but that's not the only texture in its repertoire. Fried pasta, known as pasta frittata is a common way that Italian households repurpose leftover pasta. And if you haven't tried it, you're missing out! While any type of pasta can be fried into a crunchy snack, we consulted Matthew Cutolo, third-generation Italian-American chef at Gargiulo's Restaurant in Coney Island, Brooklyn for his favorite pasta shapes to fry up.

He was enthusiastic about the whole idea, saying, "One of my all time favorite dishes and one that reminds me of my childhood is fried pasta." He has a firm favorite shape, too. "Penne or rigatoni work great for frying in the pan. Every year for Christmas dinner my mother and I always make extra pasta so we have leftovers for the next day to fry up in the pan!"

Known for their cylindrical shapes and ridged exteriors, penne and rigatoni can be even more texturally appealing when fried. The ridges become more defined with charred crests creating a toasty, smoky finish. Plus, their tubular shapes are the perfect vessel to scoop up and retain your favorite dipping sauce. Even if you're eating them plain with seasonings and a sprinkling of parmesan, the hollow center somehow makes them even crunchier and more satisfying to snack on. Go for your favorite grocery-store pasta brand, or save a shopping trip and order in bulk online. We like these durum wheat Barilla  rigatoni and Barilla penne for their budget-friendly prices and quality ingredients.

As chef Matthew Cutolo mentions, pasta leftovers make the best fried snacks because they've dried out enough to get extra crispy. If you don't have leftover pasta, you can use freshly boiled and drained pasta cooled for an hour until room temperature.

The traditional way to make fried pasta is by forming leftover pasta into a singular fritter, bound with egg, parmesan cheese, butter, and olive oil, then fry it in a saucepan over the stove like an omelet. The result is a crispy, charred exterior and a tender interior. Most leftover pasta has already been tossed in sauce, which it has absorbed, locking in the flavors even when the rest of the sauce dries out. While tomato-based sauces like marinara or penne alla vodka will maintain moisture, oil-based sauces like fresh pesto or a cacio e pepe work especially well in fried pasta.

Fried pasta chips made in an air fryer are a more recent trend that's gained a lot of traction on social media. These simple recipes will also work with leftover saucy pasta along with plain pasta fresh out of the boiling pot. To make pasta chips, simply toss the pasta with olive oil or a butter and olive oil blend, parmesan, and an Italian seasoning mix before air frying them at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, shaking the basket at the 6 minute mark. They'll transform into crunchy snacks to serve with your favorite marinara-style dipping sauce or a fragrant garlic aioli.