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What is Angel Hair Pasta?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Angel hair pasta is a long, thin noodle with a round shape. It is also known as capellini or capelli d'angelo. The extremely fine pasta is excellent with light, delicate sauces as well as seasonal fresh vegetables. Several traditional Italian recipes call for this pasta, and it is readily available in most grocery stores. It can also be made by hand at home, although producing pasta of adequate thinness requires time and patience.

The pasta strongly resembles spaghetti, another long, thin, round pasta. Angel hair pasta, however, is much more fine. Spaghetti can hold up to heartier stocks and sauces that would overwhelm the delicate noodles. Angel hair pasta can also be used in Asian recipes that call for fine, thin noodles, typically fried in nests as a base for a dish.

Fresh basil leaves are often used to flavor angel hair pasta dishes.
Fresh basil leaves are often used to flavor angel hair pasta dishes.

The most basic angel hair pasta is made with durum semolina wheat, water, and salt. Durum semolina is a hard wheat, which will yield a slightly chewy, strong pasta. Soft wheats tend to break down during the cooking process, leading to mushy pasta with an unpleasant texture. Flavored pasta with additions like pepper and lemon, sun-dried tomato, or spinach is also available. These ingredients are typically ground up into a fine flour or paste, so that they will not interrupt the texture of the pasta.

Asparagus is a popular topping on angel hair pasta.
Asparagus is a popular topping on angel hair pasta.

When making pasta at home, most people add egg to the pasta dough, making a richer dough with a sunny golden color. To make angel hair, the dough needs to be rolled out extremely fine. A manual pasta machine can make the process much more rapid and enjoyable. Many pasta machines also have cutting attachments for cutting pasta, or the dough can be laid out on a flat surface and cut into very thin pieces. Home made angel hair will lack the rounded edges of the commercially manufactured variety, but it is still delicious. The finished pasta can be cooked for three to five minutes and tossed with a sauce, or dried for use later.

Durum wheat may be used to make more durable angel hair pasta.
Durum wheat may be used to make more durable angel hair pasta.

Sauces for angel hair pasta should be light, rather than dense and chunky. The pasta can be also be tossed with ingredients such as sun dried tomatoes, asparagus, artichoke hearts, smoked salmon, roasted garlic, or basil. Seafood also goes well with angel hair, and the noodles are also delicious plain with a little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a DelightedCooking researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a DelightedCooking researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

sneakers41

Sevenseas- Wow putting angel hair pasta in the soup is a great idea. I have thought about that before. I will have to try it.

What I do enjoy with angel hair pasta is shrimp. I combine a garlic butter sauce with a little bit of salt and some olive oil and I pour it over the cooked angel hair pasta along with the shrimp and it is fantastic.

If you add garlic bread and a glass of wine, you have the perfect dinner. Cooking with angel hair pasta is easy.

sevenseas

I use angel hair pasta in soups. Not thick, minestrone type soups, but soups that resemble broth, made out of beef or chicken, primarily bones, and a little meat.

I include carrots and celery, but only for flavor. Angel hair pasta is just perfect for this type of soup, which is a delicious introduction to a more formal dining experience.

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    • Fresh basil leaves are often used to flavor angel hair pasta dishes.
      By: Natika
      Fresh basil leaves are often used to flavor angel hair pasta dishes.
    • Asparagus is a popular topping on angel hair pasta.
      By: marrfa
      Asparagus is a popular topping on angel hair pasta.
    • Durum wheat may be used to make more durable angel hair pasta.
      By: womue
      Durum wheat may be used to make more durable angel hair pasta.
    • Smoked salmon is delicate enough to be served atop angel hair pasta.
      By: PhotoEd
      Smoked salmon is delicate enough to be served atop angel hair pasta.
    • Angel hair pasta is slightly thinner than spaghetti.
      By: olly
      Angel hair pasta is slightly thinner than spaghetti.