Anelletti are thin ring shaped pasta from Sicily (also called anelli, the word in Italian for small rings), used by Italians almost exclusively in soups, salads and oven-baked pasta dishes, especially timballi. There is also a smaller version of this pasta called 'anellini’, which are tiny rings used mostly in soups.
The ring shape works particularly well in baked pasta dishes; covered with sauce, layered with mozzarella, topped with parmesan and baked under a medium heat. This type of baked pasta dish is known as 'timballo' in Southern Italy and are often made to look like a pasta cake or pie. They are traditionally baked in a cake shape to celebrate the New Year and other holidays in Sicily.
Minardo makes their pasta from the Russello durum wheat, which is an ancient Sicilian durum grain.