Pasta dough can be shaped in a countless ways. Sometimes it is rolled really thin to produce pasta varieties that have a flat shape.

A popular example of a flat pasta is fettucine. It is often described as ribbon-like and it is used in popular dishes like alfredo fettucine. 

Lasagna is also a type of flat and wide pasta commonly used to make baked pasta dishes.

Another flat pasta variety with wider dimensions although much less well-known than lasagna is fazzoletti. 

Those that are not familiar with this pasta may mistake it for a type of lasagna, but Fazzoletti is used quite differently from lasagna. 

Continue reading to learn more about this interesting pasta shape.

Fazzoletti description

Fazzoletti is a rectangular or square shaped pasta that is very similar to lasagna noodles.  

It is flat, wide and folds over easily. 

This pasta is originally from Genova and is said to have originated several hundreds of years ago.  

The Italian word “fazzolotto” means handkerchief . This pasta variety is often referred to as handkerchief pasta because of its shape. 

This Pasta could also be known as “fazzoletti di seta” or “mandrilli de seta” in the local Genoese dialect. 

This pasta is quite rare even on the menus of Genovese restaurants. 

Fazzoletti pasta is delicate and it can be quite difficult to make, especially for a beginner. 

The dough is made from a mixture of flour, egg yolks, salt, and olive oil. Then it is rolled into paper thin sheets and then the pasta is then cut into squares shapes. 

How it is served  

Traditionally, it is paired with pesto. This is often considered to be the oldest pasta and pesto pairing. 

Mandilli de sea al pesto is a traditional Italian pasta dish from Liguria. 

In this dish, Ligurians pair silk handkerchief pasta with Genoese pesto.  

To prepare this pasta dish, The pasta is added to a pot of salted boiling water until they are tender. 

The pesto sauce is made from basil, cheese, pine nuts and olive oil. 

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese can also be sprinkled on this dish before it’s served 

Another recipe that is made with this type of pasta is fregnacce Abruzzesi. A baked fazzoletti pasta recipe from the Teramo province in Abruzzo. 

Lasagna vs. Fazoletti

Fazzoletti pasta can easily be confused for lasagna due to their striking similarities, however they are different.

Lasagna is a dish where sheets of this pasta are layered on top of each other with a sauce and other ingredients including meats and cheese in-between the layers of pasta 

The wide, flat sheet of pasta used to make this dish is also known as lasagna. 

The ingredients that are used to make both fazzoletti pasta and lasagna are similar, the techniques used as also quite similar. 

However, fazzoletti pasta is rolled thinner than the sheets of lasagna. 

Another difference is that pasta sheets of fazzoletti are also commonly square shaped, but lasagna is commonly cut into rectangular shapes. 

Also, unlike lasagna, that is arranged in layers, fazzoletti pasta is laid out and eaten with a sauce like other pasta varieties.