A typical pasta from southern Italy, mille righe take their name from the numerous ridges that run over them (riga means line in Italian). The possibility of producing a pasta “rigata” is considered a great innovation of the industrial period, which optimises their ability to hold sauce.
Mille righe are right in the middle between rigatoni (which have a smaller diameter) and maniche di frate (smoother and with a larger diameter), two other shapes characteristic of southern Italy.
Ideal with
Because they absorb so much sauce, mille righe are accompanied above all by dense and creamy sauces with a tomato base, such as a nice Roman ragù or one with sausage. They also lend themselves well to baked pasta dishes, for example with mozzarella and aubergines.
