You may be thinking: What’s the best pasta shape for mac and cheese? Or the best pasta for pesto? Maybe you’re trying to decide between short-cut pasta (think: penne, rigatoni and shells) or long pasta noodles (like the aforementioned noodles above). Of course, there really aren’t any steadfast rules and pairing pasta with sauce is quite similar to wine pairings—it’s really up to you what you prefer. There are tons of reasons that pasta exists in so many shapes and sizes, but when pairing pasta and sauce keep in mind that the quality of the noodle is also important. When it comes to quality, I love the authentic artisan pasta Collezione, by Barilla. The various shapes are crafted using traditional Italian bronze plates, giving them the perfect texture for sauces of all kinds to cling to. That being said, the general recommendation for pasta pairings is: delicate noodles (such as spaghetti) are for delicate sauces such as pesto, while thicker pastas are for heartier sauces like tagliatelle bolognese.
How Many Pasta Shapes Are There?
It would take a very long time to list each and every pasta shape here, because there are over 600 recorded pasta shapes, including long and short pasta, stuffed pasta, plus pastas for soups and more that probably are being made up at the moment.
Most Popular Pasta Shapes
Here’s a quick cheat sheet to some of the most popular types of pasta shapes: Bucatini: These straw-like pasta are a thicker version of spaghetti with a hollow center. The name bucatini comes from Italian: buco, meaning “hole.” The hollow center allows the pasta to be fully coated and filled with sauce. Its sturdy shape can hold up to more substantial sauces and is known for being the pasta partner to the authentic Amatriciana sauce. Penne: Penne gets its name from its shape: a short cylinder-shaped pasta that has angled edges like a quill. Penne’s ridges make it ideal for capturing sauces. Penne is perfectly paired with tomato sauces. Rigatoni: Larger than penne, rigatoni, are similarly ridged, yet these short, wide tubes of pasta are perfect for heartier ragus. Rigatoni also work well in baked pasta dishes as they can hold their shape well. Casarecce: This pasta hails from Sicily and can be served with a variety of sauces. The short size and flexible texture makes it prime for lighter sauces like the famous Genovese sauce. Orecchiette: Known as small ears, orecchiette pasta derives from Puglia. They are often served with oil-based sauces and especially popular with broccoli rabe and sausage. Spaghetti: The most famous long pasta shape, spaghetti mixes wonderfully with a variety of sauces. It’s the classic shape to serve with meatballs. Linguini: This long, flat, strand of pasta is very similar to spaghetti, but is thicker in width. Linguini is from the Liguria region of Italy. It is often paired with a seafood sauce or pesto. Farfalle: Commonly referred to as bow tie pasta, farfalle are pinched at the center to reveal their shape. You will see this pasta often featured in salads or with cream-based sauces. Orzo: Small, rice-shaped pasta that’s often used in soups or salads. Cavatappi: Short tubular S-shaped pasta that look similar to a corkscrew. Cavatappi works well with any sauce, but pairs especially wonderfully with a thick, vegetable-laden sauce. Some popular cavatappi recipes are: pasta with anchovies, and mac and cheese. Tagliatelle: Similar to fettuccine, tagliatelle is often used by Italian Americans in “spaghetti and meatballs.” Gemelli: This short pasta shape is wonderful for cream-based sauces. Click the “Launch Gallery” button for 27 tried-and-true classic pasta recipes, then check out the best TikTok pasta recipes of all time.
