This Is Hands-Down The Best Pasta Shape For Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is a classic for a reason. It's warm comfort food that hits all the right notes, especially on a cold day. Whether you have a reliable recipe or are trying something new, there are countless ways you can prepare chicken noodle soup. There are a few staples that need to be there, however. You obviously need chicken, whether that's broth alone or pieces of meat. And you also need pasta of some kind. For my money, the best choice is ditalini pasta.

Ditalini are small tubes, sometimes called tubetti or tubettini. The name translates from Italian to "little thimbles." Their size and shape make them the perfect choice for chicken noodle soup. Having made soup in more than one restaurant, I know that you want to construct the dish to make it not just delicious but also efficient and easy for a diner to eat. This is especially true in a higher-end restaurant. I once worked at a fine dining inn, and, sure, egg noodles add more flavor, but the last thing guests want to do is slurp up a long noodle off their spoon, or have it dangling from their lips.

Ditalini pasta is the perfect size for eating. Unlike traditional egg noodles or longer spaghetti-like noodles, these won't hang off a spoon. That also makes serving more efficient. If you have ever tried to ladle a soup with large pasta noodles, you know it can make portion control a hassle.

Spoon-sized pasta is always a smart way to go, but ditalini stands above other pasta shapes like conchiglie, or shells, as well. Shells cup the soup, creating a small pocket of liquid. That's good for macaroni and cheese, where it creates a little flavor burst as you eat it. But with soup, it can work against you, especially if the liquid is too hot. A little burst of boiling hot broth is not a fun treat.

Ditalini's shape won't hold the liquid, and it cooks evenly. The small size means you can more easily get a balanced spoonful each time, too. A piece of chicken, some carrots, and a piece or two of pasta can all fit on your spoon at once. A big rotini corkscrew would take up the whole spoon on its own. It makes the dish feel less balanced when you have to eat large, awkward pieces of pasta.

Larger noodles, like rotini, penne, or even spaghetti, are also harder to control in your soup. As part of a pasta dish, even with sauce, you can better control the pasta because it's not as slippery, and you're using a fork. In a soup, the bigger and heavier the pasta is, the more likely you are to lose it off your spoon while you eat. It may not rise to the level of a huge inconvenience, but it does become messier and more time-consuming. Next time you make chicken noodle soup, try a cup of ditalini and see if it doesn't make the whole dish come together.