Favorite pasta shape for mac & cheese?

[amcnj]

I guess overall I haven’t met a pasta shape I didn‘t like. Some are better for holding onto the more watery sauces. Overall cheese is on the thick side so can work with many shapes. Though some like it super cheesy so probably prefer the shapes that can hold sauces better.

When I was a young, the term pasta hadn’t taken over, at least in my area. The generic term was macaroni. Though now that I think about it, maybe spaghetti was know by its own name, and everything else was macaroni.

 

[wishesuponastar]

Shells or cavatappi for Mac n cheese. I only use elbows for cold macaroni salad, the Hellman’s recipe.

 

[DuskKodesh]

I was being evil once and made my homemade mac and cheese out of Cazzetti pasta. Everyone loved it and I got some choice jokes out of it.

 

[bcla]

I was going to say the same thing. They're interchangeable to me.

And if I say or hear noodles I think egg noodles.

I would have though most understand noodles to be any long, stringy starch. Not just pasta of course.

I’ve been to a Chinese restaurant that had “spaghetti” on the menu, but the picture was of Asian wheat noodles. A lot of Asian cuisine calls thin rice noodles “vermicelli”. Obviously not the same.

 

[mjkacmom]

I would have though most understand noodles to be any long, stringy starch. Not just pasta of course.

I’ve been to a Chinese restaurant that had “spaghetti” on the menu, but the picture was of Asian wheat noodles. A lot of Asian cuisine calls thin rice noodles “vermicelli”. Obviously not the same.

Understand, yes,, but I’d never refer to spaghetti as noodles when eating or making.

 

[shoney]

Noodles are egg noodles to me or Asian noodles.
When I was kid in the 70’s/80’s all my Italian friends referred to any pasta as “macaroni”.
now “pasta”
Has taken over.

when I think of Mac n cheez or macaroni salad (always mayo based) it is elbow shaped.

pasta salad (oil and vinegar base) can be any shape but I would not ever use elbows for that! Lol.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Elbow macaroni are fine for me.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I tend to use elbows, but I suppose that's a little boring. Next time I think I'll buy cavatappi or mini wagon wheels.

As for the names in our house, "noodles" are egg noodles or lo mein, "pasta" comes in lots of shapes and sizes, and "macaroni" is elbows, or little rings made into a cold salad.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Favorite pasta for Macaroni and cheese?
Uh there is only one answer it could be because if it isn't "Macaroni" it really isn't "Macaroni" and cheese. Hence the name, Macaroni and cheese. Without the Mac(aroni) It would be something else and cheese.

Spirals would be Spi and cheese.
Bowties would be Bow and Cheese.
Noodles would be noo and cheese.
etc.

Yes. Drives us crazy when we order macaroni cheese at WDW and we don’t get macaroni AND some places don’t bake it, so you just get random pasta coated in a cheese sauce (Edison, I am looking at you). That is not macaroni cheese!!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Fusilli or Cavatappi -- great for catching all the cheesy sauce and easy to spear with a fork (so no frustrated little ones at the table)
Penne Rigate will work if we're out of the other two pastas

 

[mjkacmom]

Yes. Drives us crazy when we order macaroni cheese at WDW and we don’t get macaroni AND some places don’t bake it, so you just get random pasta coated in a cheese sauce (Edison, I am looking at you). That is not macaroni cheese!!

Macaroni and cheese doesn’t need to be baked, baked macaroni and cheese does.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Macaroni and cheese doesn’t need to be baked, baked macaroni and cheese does.

Perhaps you meant to say this the other way around?
Macaroni and cheese has traditionally been baked for centuries. Pouring the sauce over boiled pasta is a modern variation and nowhere near as tasty IMHO.

 

[mjkacmom]

Perhaps you meant to say this the other way around?
Macaroni and cheese has traditionally been baked for centuries. Pouring the sauce over boiled pasta is a modern variation and nowhere near as tasty IMHO.

Nope, when my kids were little, they didn’t like their Mac and cheese baked (and kraft was a favorite, although their are tons of homemade stovetop recipes). My favorite recipe for baked Mac and cheese is labeled as such.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Macaroni and cheese doesn’t need to be baked, baked macaroni and cheese does.

Chuckling aloud.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Perhaps you meant to say this the other way around?
Macaroni and cheese has traditionally been baked for centuries. Pouring the sauce over boiled pasta is a modern variation and nowhere near as tasty IMHO.

Hear, hear!

 

[gina2000]

In my NJ Italian household macaroni refers to any dried pasta made without egg and often extruded through a machine to create various shapes. Stuffed pastas such as ravioli and tortellini are usually called by their names.

We rarely make mac and cheese. If we do, cavatappi traps all the sauce nicely.

 

[tvguy]

Any macaroni will do. But you HAVE to make the cheese sauce with extra sharp cheddar cheese.

 

[Ciao Mickey]

I looked it up. Cavatappi is generally the same as Cellentani.

Unless I’ve lost my mind, I remember when Barilla first became popular here in the US it was all imported from Italy. Now they make most of it here and only a couple of the types of pasta are imported (it states it on the box).

That is why we have switched and now only buy DeCecco brand pasta. DeCecco has the Cavatappi and it’s all imported from Italy.

I didn’t get to finish my post, we are having issues with our internet for some reason.

The reason why I love DeCecco pasta is that it retains its texture when cooked in a dish like pasta e fagioli, or in soups, etc. so it would be good to use in a Mac and cheese dish.

Some brands you use can turn into mush, even if you don’t overcook the pasta.

 

[NYCgrrl]

An aunt told me a story from when she was at a restaurant with a friend. The friend ordered some chicken dish and also requested "macaroni cheese." The waiter thought she also wanted a side of macaroni & cheese and brought it. The friend said "no, macaroni cheese, you know, the kind you sprinkle on food." The friend apparently calls grated Parmesan "macaroni cheese."


Addendum: Someone mentioned further down that at one time, to him or her, all pasta except spaghetti was known as "macaroni." That's how this friend in the story grew up too.

Learned that there are people who thought Parmesan cheese only came in a green can....

 

[NYCgrrl]

Any macaroni will do. But you HAVE to make the cheese sauce with extra sharp cheddar cheese.

Agreed when using cheddar. When I make my company worthy version I pull out all the stops and use a combination of Gruyere, and extra sharp white Cheddar. Nothing wrong with using other cheeses as well.