Vocabulary of essential terms by topic
Pasta and Sauces / La Pasta e Le Salse
Click to hear the highlighted word spoken by a native speaker.
| ITALIAN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| aglio e olio | garlic and olive oil |
| gli agnolotti | small, crescent–shaped pasta |
| all'amatriciana | tangy tomato sauce with onions and bacon |
| all'arrabbiata | spicy tomato sauce |
| alla bolognese | meat sauce |
| i cannelloni | large, long tubular pasta |
| i capellini | angel hair pasta |
| alla carbonara | creamy sauce with egg, cured bacon, and cheese |
| le conchiglie | shell pasta |
| al dente | slightly chewy— "to the tooth" |
| i ditalini | small, very short tube pasta |
| le farfalle | butterfly–shaped pasta |
| le fettuccine | thin ribbon noodles |
| i fusilli | long, corkscrew–shaped spaghetti |
| gli gnocchi | potato dumplings |
| le linguine | thin, flat, spaghetti–type noodle |
| i maccheroni | stubby tubes of pasta |
| le penne | straight, medium–length tube pasta |
| alla pizzaiola | tomato–based sauce with olive oil and red peppers |
| al pomodoro | tomato sauce |
| alla puttanesca | tomato sauce with olives, capers, and anchovies |
| i radiatori | ruffled and ridged (radiator) pasta |
| le tagliatelle | egg noodles |
| i tortellini | small, filled, ring–shaped pasta |
| i vermicelli | fine spaghetti–type pasta |
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