Dry pasta is sold by weight, but that measurement doesn't tell you how much cooked pasta you'll actually end up with. Here's a handy guide to estimating how much dry pasta you'll need to make one serving of cooked.
All of these estimates are based on a 2-ounce serving of dry pasta. For long pasta shapes, the measurement is based on the circumference of the dry pasta bundle; short shapes can be measured in a measuring cup.
LONG SHAPES
• Angel Hair: 2 1/8" circumference dry = 1 cup cooked
• Fettuccine: 2 1/8" circumference dry = 1 cup cooked
• Linguini: 2 1/8" circumference dry = 1 cup cooked
• Spaghetti: 2 1/8" circumference dry = 1 cup cooked
SHORT SHAPES
• Elbows: 1/2 cup dry = 1 1/8 cup cooked
• Farfalle: 3/4 cup dry = 1 1/4 cup cooked
• Medium Shells: 3/4 cup dry = 1 1/8 cup cooked
• Orzo: 1/4 cup dry = 2/3 cup cooked
• Penne: 2/3 cup dry = 1 1/4 cup cooked
• Rigatoni: 3/4 cup dry = 1 1/4 cup cooked
• Rotini: 1/2 cup dry = 1 cup cooked
• Ziti: 2/3 cup dry = 1 1/4 cup cooked
If there is a particular shape that isn't listed above, check the Barilla website, which has a detailed yield chart for all their pasta shapes.
Related: Make or Buy? Dried, Fresh Gourmet, and Homemade Pasta
(Image: MARCELODLT/Shutterstock)
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I'm not sure where I learned this, but 125g (dry) pasta is 2 servings. It's so much easier to use my scale rather trying to figure out the volume of pasta to cook.
I agree with SusannaD. It takes seconds to weigh out pasta on my kitchen scale.
Yep. 2 oz. = 1 serving. Volume is irrelevant. (This is also a good rule of thumb for spotting recipes with crazy portions; if it calls for 1 lb. pasta to serve four, you know it really serves eight.)
I was going to mention scales also, but you folks beat me to it ;) It's really not that difficult to weigh pasta (flour, sugar, etc) on a scale before using it :)
This is helpful for those of us who don't have scales.
Volume is somewhat relevant. 2oz = 1 serving, but that 2oz is UNCOOKED. So, if you're making a large pot of pasta (say an entire 16oz box), but wanting to portion out cooked pasta exact for yourself (but the portions don't matter much to the other folks who are eating), having a volume measurement is handy. The other option is to weigh the entire pot of pasta then divide the weight measurements by # of servings. But that gets rather cumbersome.
Signed,
A calorie counter/food weigher who recently lost 40lbs, all while enjoying delicious pasta meals :)
PS I shared this article on one of my weight loss website message boards, as this topic comes up ALL the time.
Might seem elementary (compared to these exact portions) but I just eyeball it...I put dry pasta in the serving bowl or plate 3/4 full so I know I'll end up with a full bowl or plate. Never fails!
In Italy it's 100g per person of dry short pasta and 125g per person for dry spaghetti. When we have friends over, we ask if that's what they do -too. Usually, yes and we can easily calculate how much pasta to cook for the whole group or all the families.
Works every time.
Since packages come in 500g amounts and my family eats 400g, save all the different shapes and mix them up in a minestra.
Ciao,
L
2 oz is a teeny serving of pasta. So says the half-Italian. I like Laura's measurements better, I'm more into a 3-4 oz portion per person.
The kitchen scale also has been wonderful for things like this.
I'll just eyeball it too. It's just easier for me that way.