Ounces to Cups: A Guide to Estimating Pasta Yield
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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 pasta.
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.