Ditalini

Smaller pasta shapes are ideal for meals that are best eaten by the spoonful. Ditalini is perhaps the most well-known for its usage in the classic Italian soup Pasta e Fagioli. Ditalini, also known as tubettini, is a shorter form of macaroni that may be manufactured in the same way with a pasta extruder. The outside can be smooth or ridged, and because of its tiny size, it officially belongs to the "pastina" family of pasta forms.

According to GourmetSleuth, ditalini, which translates to "tiny thimbles," is too short to contain anything for very long. This form works well in soup since it is tiny enough to fit on a spoon and in any liquid. Ditalini is also occasionally used in minestrone. Try matching this shape with similarly shaped dishes like peas or finely diced pancetta if you want to use it for something other than soups and stews.