Want to take your pasta shapes up a notch? Instead of the standard spirals, here’s a shape that has captured our heart: gemelli pasta! The unique corkscrew not only looks beautiful, but its twists and turns are key to holding onto the flavor of sauces. Here’s our favorite way to serve it: smothered in a rich, garlicky Parmesan cream sauce. Tender spinach wilts into the mix, adding a pop of color and dose of vegetables. It’s creamy, cheesy, and oh-so-satisfying in just 20 minutes!
What is gemelli pasta?
Gemelli pasta is corkscrew shaped pasta. Gemelli means “twins” in Italian, referring to what looks like two strands wrapped around each other. But the shape is actually crafted from a single piece of pasta, twisted and twirled to create nooks and crannies that trap seasonings and flavor. Gemelli works with a variety of sauces, from vibrant pesto to tangy marinara sauce or a rich and creamy alfredo. It’s great in everything from pasta salads to to pasta bakes. It has a more sophisticated appearance than the popular rotini. So ditch the spirals and embrace the playful, flavorful twist of gemelli pasta!
Best ways to serve gemelli pasta
Gemelli pasta works in a variety of types of recipes, from creamy sauces to tangy marinara, from pasta salads to pasta bakes. Substitute it in any recipe where you’d use a short cut pasta: it’s a perfect substitute for rotini (spirals), bow ties, or penne. Here are some of our favorite ways to use it:
Creamy sauces like creamy white sauce, lemon ricotta sauce, garlic butter sauce, sun dried tomato cream sauce, or white wine sauce Red sauces like marinara sauce, pomodoro sauce, arrabiata sauce, tomato basil sauce, or tomato cream sauce Pesto sauces like basil pesto, kale pesto or pesto cream sauce Pasta salads like classic pasta salad, Caprese pasta salad, Greek pasta salad, pesto pasta salad, Mediterranean pasta salad, orzo pasta salad, bow tie pasta salad Pasta bakes like baked ziti
Serving it as a main dish? Try it alongside a salad like chopped salad, kale salad, apple walnut salad, radicchio salad, pear salad, or these salad recipes.
Ingredients in this creamy gemelli recipe
Here’s our favorite way to serve gemelli pasta: with a creamy garlicky Parmesan sauce and spinach! This recipe is quick and simple, relying on a simple list of quality ingredients. Even better, leftovers even stay flavorful in the fridge (which is our personal test for a good pasta recipe). Here’s what you’ll need for this creamy gemelli pasta recipe:
Gemelli pasta Butter Garlic Oregano Milk Heavy cream Grated Parmesan cheese All-purpose flour Fresh spinach Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Cook the pasta to al dente
The most important thing to remember when making any pasta is to cook the pasta to al dente! Al dente means “to the bite” in Italian, or when it’s tender with a small white speck inside when you bite into a piece. There’s nothing worse than soft, rubbery pasta. Here are a few tips for the perfect al dente pasta:
Boil the pasta a few minutes less than indicated on the package instructions. Often package instructions make for overcooked pasta. Start taste testing early. Start taste testing and stop cooking when the pasta is just tender but you can still see a small white speck inside.
A note on serving size
The gemelli pasta recipe below makes enough for 8 ounces of pasta, which is technically 4 servings. However, we find that if you eat this pasta as a main dish, it makes more like 3 servings. Feel free to double the recipe if desired: click the 2X recipe button below!
Leftovers and storage info
Creamy gemelli pasta tastes the best the day it is made. However, the flavor still tastes great as leftovers! Store leftovers for up to 3 days refrigerated. You can reheat them in a skillet on the stove, adding a splash of milk to keep the sauce creamy. Or you can simply eat them cold (they’re still good!).
More pasta recipes
Want more tasty Italian pasta recipes and pasta sauces? Here are a few more ideas:
Try Easy Manicotti or Baked Ziti Go for Pasta Pomodoro, Sun Dried Tomato Pasta or Tagliatelle Pasta Try Vegetarian Lasagna with Ricotta or Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Opt for simple Roman Cacio e Pepe Make Pasta alla Norma or Broccoli Mac and Cheese
This gemelli pasta recipe is…
Vegetarian. No reviews
