towardia Where things come from.
🌐 en

Malloreddus

Pasta shape ✔ Checked: 10.2026 · sources: 2 Updated:

Also known as: gnocchetti sardi, Sardinian gnocchi

Short Sardinian pasta of durum wheat semolina and water, optionally with saffron, shaped as small ridged hollow rods; a typical product of the Campidano.

Malloreddus are a short dry pasta made from durum wheat semolina and water, optionally with pure saffron, in the shape of a small hollow rod with parallel ridges on the back. The regional register of traditional products lists them for the whole of Sardinia and calls them typical of the Campidano area.

According to the register, the dough is worked smooth, shaped into a thin stick and cut into small pieces, which are rolled on the bottom of a basket to take their ridged shape. The pasta is then dried in rotary ovens. Sardegna Turismo describes the pieces as pressed with the thumb on a wicker basket.

Traditionally the dough was flavoured with saffron; today tomato and spinach versions are also sold.

The best-known dressing, according to Sardegna Turismo, is alla campidanese, a sausage meat sauce; other dressings it names are melted pecorino and, for the barley version, grated ricotta.

Facts

Raw materialDurum wheat semolina and water, optionally saffron
RegionSardinia (typical of the Campidano)
Main useAlla campidanese (sausage sauce), melted pecorino

What it includes

used in🍅Malloreddus alla …containsSemolinacontains🌾Durum wheatkind ofFresh pastakind ofDry durum wheat p…similarCavatellisimilarArra MalloreddussimilarConchigliesimilarCapuntisimilarGnocchirelated🧀pecorinotowardia.com
Main links. Click a topic to open it.

How it connects to Pasta

Malloreddus → related → 🧀 Pecorino ← related ← 🍝 Pasta

Frequently asked questions

What are malloreddus?

A short dry Sardinian pasta of durum wheat semolina and water, optionally with saffron, shaped as small ridged hollow rods.

How are malloreddus shaped?

Small pieces of dough are rolled on the bottom of a basket (Sardegna Turismo: pressed with the thumb on a wicker basket) to form the ridges.

What are malloreddus served with?

The best-known dressing is alla campidanese, a sausage meat sauce; melted pecorino is also named.

Recipes

What to read next

  • Semolina — Coarse, yellowish meal ground from durum wheat: the main raw material of dry pasta.
  • 🍅 Malloreddus alla campidanese — A Sardinian first course from the Campidano plain: ridged malloreddus with a tomato sauce of fresh sausage and saffron, topped with grated aged pecorino.
  • Cavatelli — Small elongated pasta with a hollow, shaped by hand from re-milled durum wheat semolina and water; listed among Italy's traditional food products.
  • Arra Malloreddus — Fresh malloreddus, the small ridged Sardinian pasta, by the Arra workshop in Lanusei, including a three-colour version with spinach, carrot and saffron.
  • 🌾 Durum wheat — A wheat species with very hard grain and strong gluten, milled into semolina for dry pasta and couscous.

Similar

Capunti · Fileja · Busiate · Cavatelli · Troccoli · Bigoli

Sources

All topics