Campanelle substitute

Best substitute

Radiatore

Use the same amount by weight as the campanelle you are replacing

Best for cream sauce

Close match

Farfalle, fusilli and cavatappi are the practical substitutes for campanelle, all one for one by weight, and radiatore is the closest match if your shop happens to carry it. Campanelle adds no flavour of its own; the ruffled edge and hollow cone exist to trap things, so peas, crumbled sausage, pesto and cream sauce lodge in the frills instead of sinking to the bottom of the bowl. Swap to a smooth shape and the same amount of sauce will taste like less, so toss the pasta in the pan with a splash of pasta water to make it cling.

Other campanelle substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Fusilli or rotini
Close match
Use the same amount by weight
Corkscrew spirals with grooves running along the twist.
What changes
Best for
pesto, cream sauce, pasta salad, chunky vegetable sauce
Grooves grip a thin or oily sauce just as effectively as ruffles do, so this is the most reliable everyday swap. What you lose is the cup: without a hollow, small solids such as peas, corn and sausage crumbs no longer get caught, so they settle at the bottom of the bowl and the pasta itself tastes plainer.
3Cavatappi
Close match
Use the same amount by weight
Hollow ridged corkscrews, sometimes labelled cellentani.
What changes
Best for
cheese sauce, cream sauce, baked pasta, pasta salad
The best choice for anything creamy or cheesy, because it keeps the hollow that campanelle has and adds ridges. The bite is springier and noticeably more substantial, and the pieces are bigger, so the dish feels heartier and slightly less delicate than a campanelle version.
4Farfalle
Different texture
Use the same amount by weight
Bow ties, with thin wings and a firmly pinched centre.
What changes
Best for
cream sauce, peas and prosciutto, cold pasta salad, buttered vegetables
The likeliest shape to be in the cupboard, and it looks handsome. The bite is uneven by design, soft at the wings and chewy in the middle, and the flat surfaces shed pesto and oil-based sauces, so a thin sauce that clung to campanelle will run off. Creamy sauces cling much better than oily ones.
5Orecchiette
Different texture
Use the same amount by weight
Small thumb-pressed discs from Puglia, cupped like little ears.
What changes
Best for
sausage and broccoli rabe, pesto, chunky vegetable sauce, olive oil sauces
The cupping works exactly like the campanelle cone, catching sausage crumbs, breadcrumbs and chopped greens in every piece. The texture is a real change: orecchiette is thick, dense and distinctly chewy, especially in the middle, so a light cream sauce dish becomes far more rustic and filling.
6Medium pasta shells
Different texture
Use the same amount by weight
Cupped conchiglie, the fallback that almost everyone has.
What changes
Best for
cheese sauce, cream sauce, family meals, pasta salad
Honest answer: it does the trapping job well and loses all the visual charm. The cups hold sauce and small solids nicely, but shells are thin and softer, so the dish has much less chew than campanelle and can feel babyish. Shells also carry water inside, so drain them well or a cheese sauce will thin out.

What is Campanelle?

Campanelle is Campanelle is a short pasta rolled into a small hollow cone with a frilled, ruffled edge, and it is also sold as gigli or riccioli.

Cooking tips

Campanelle is sold as gigli in Italian shops and riccioli in some brands, and generic labels sometimes call it bellflower or trumpet pasta. All of these are the same shape, so buy whichever name is on the shelf.
Cook campanelle and its substitutes to a firm al dente and taste early. The frilled edges are much thinner than the body of the pasta, so they go floppy several minutes before the centre is done, and overcooked ruffles lose the grip that is the whole point of the shape.
Stir gently. The frills are delicate and a hard boil or an aggressive toss tears them off, leaving you with plain hollow cones and a lot of pasta shreds in the sauce.
This is the shape to pick when a sauce has small solid pieces: peas, sweetcorn, crumbled sausage, chopped bacon, toasted breadcrumbs or crumbled feta all wedge into the cone and the ruffles. If you swap to something smooth, chop those additions smaller so they cling instead of sinking.
Because the cones are hollow and irregular, they hold a surprising amount of cooking water. Drain thoroughly and give the colander a shake before saucing, or a cream sauce will end up thinner than you expected.

Frequently asked questions

Is campanelle the same as gigli?

Yes. Gigli means lilies and campanelle means little bells, and some brands also sell the shape as riccioli. They are the same frilled hollow cone, and a recipe calling for one can use any of the others with no changes at all.

What is the best substitute for campanelle?

Radiatore if you can find it, since the ruffles behave the same way. Otherwise fusilli or rotini for oil-based and pesto sauces, and cavatappi for anything creamy or cheesy because it keeps the hollow centre. All swap in at the same weight.

Can I use penne instead of campanelle?

You can, but it is the weakest option here. Penne has smooth or only lightly ridged walls and far less surface area, so a thin sauce runs off and small ingredients such as peas or sausage crumbles fall away instead of being caught. Use ridged penne rigate rather than smooth, and toss it hard with pasta water.

Can I just leave the pasta out?

No, since the pasta is the meal rather than a flavouring. But the sauce is portable: serve it over gnocchi, rice, polenta, orzo or roasted vegetables. Just remember that only a shaped pasta traps the solid bits, so with rice or polenta the peas and sausage will sit on top instead.

Does campanelle work in a baked pasta dish?

Yes, and the ruffles catch cheese sauce nicely, but drain it three minutes early. The thin frilled edges break down faster than tubes do in the oven, and fully boiled campanelle comes out of a long bake soft with the ruffles gone.

Related substitutes

More pasta & noodles substitutes

Campanelle substitute

Other campanelle substitutes

2Fusilli or rotini

3Cavatappi

4Farfalle

5Orecchiette

6Medium pasta shells