Soup pasta consists of pasta shapes that range in size from small to very tiny. The larger of the soup pastas are used in thicker based soups and the tiny and smaller pasta shapes are used in light or broth based soups. Some of the soup pastas are also used in some pasta salads.

Soup Pasta
Pasta	Description	Estimated Cooking Time
Acini di pepe (peperini)	Very tiny beads of pasta.	Cook for 4 to 6 minutes.
Alphabets (alfabeto)	Tiny alphabet shaped pasta.	Cook for 5 to 9 minutes.
Anelli (anelletti)	Small rings of pasta.	Cook for 7 to 10 minutes.
Anellini	Tiny rings of pasta. Anellini is a smaller version of Anelli.	Cook for 6 to 8 minutes.
Conchigliette (baby shells)	A tiny version of conchiglie pasta, which is pasta shaped similar to a conch shell.	Cook for 7 to 9 minutes.
Corallini	Tiny, short pasta tubes.	Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
Couscous	A rolled wheat, grain shaped pasta that is the tiniest of all pastas. Couscous is not generally used in soups but is used in salads or as the base to a savory dish. Originally, it required cooking for hours in a steamer. It is now available as a precooked instant product.	To cook, add couscous to a premeasured quantity of boiling water (or other liquids suggested by a specific recipe), cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 5 to 7 minutes.
Ditali	Small, short-cut pasta tubes that are approximately 3/8" long.	Cook for 9 to 11 minutes.
Ditalini	A smaller version of the ditali tube pasta.	Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
Ditalini rigati	Ditalini pasta with a ridged outer surface.	Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
Farfalline	A small version of the bow-tie or butterfly shaped pasta, farfalle.	Cook for 6 to 8 minutes.
Fideos	Short thin strands of pasta which have a slight curve to them.	Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
Filini	Very thin, short-cut strands of pasta. Similar to fideos, only smaller.	Cook for 4 to 6 minutes.
Funghini	Tiny mushroom shaped pasta.	Cook for 7 to 10 minutes.
Grattoni	Tiny diamond shaped egg pasta.	Cook for 5 to 8 minutes.
Occhi di pernice	Tiny rings of pasta.	Cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
Orzo (rosa marina)	Small pasta shapes resembling rice or grain.	Cook for 7 to 10 minutes.
Pastine	Includes any of the tiny pasta shapes that are available. The pastine pasta shapes are generally used in broth based or light soups and are sometimes referred to as soup pasta.	Cooking time varies from just a few minutes up to 13 or 14 minutes.
Pearl Pasta	Small, solid beads of pasta. Pearl pasta is slightly larger than acini di pepe pasta. Also referred to as piombi pasta.	Cook for 11 to 13 minutes.
Quadrettini (quadrucci)	Small, flat, square or triangle shaped pasta.	Cook for 6 to 8 minutes.
Risi (risoni, pasta a riso)	Small rice or grain shaped pasta. Risi is slightly smaller than orzo. The singular form is riso.	Cook for 4 to 6 minutes.
Seme di melone	Small pasta shaped similar to flat melon seeds.	Cook for 9 to 12 minutes.
Stelle (stellette)	Small star shaped pasta that contains a hole through the center of the star.	Cook for 6 to 9 minutes.
Stelline	A smaller version of stelle pasta.	Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
Stortini	Short, curved tube pasta, which is basically a smaller version of elbow macaroni.	Cook for 7 to 9 minutes.
Tempestina	Tiny solid beads of pasta.	Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
Tripolini (little bows)	Generally used to describe tiny bow tie shaped pasta, but it is sometimes used to describe a wide strand of pasta that has a wavy edge on one side.	Cook bow tie shaped pasta for 6 to 8 minutes.
Tubetti	Small tubular pasta, which are similar to ditalini pasta only slightly longer in length.	Cook for 7 to 10 minutes.
Tubettini	Tiny pasta tubes that are a smaller version of tubetti.	Cook for 6 to 9 minutes.