There’s a reason why Italians have invented more than 350 different pasta shapes. Dried pasta is one of the most versatile ingredients out there – and there’s more science than you might expect behind the perfect pasta and sauce pairings. Although you can’t go wrong with a simple bowl of spaghetti, if you’re looking for something more exciting, take inspiration from these traditional, and some non-traditional, Italian combinations.
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Long ribbons: tagliatelle
Originating from the center of Italian gastronomy, the Emilia-Romagna region, tagliatelle is one of the most popular pasta shapes around the globe. The region takes such pride in it that the Chamber of Commerce in Bologna has a single solid gold ribbon of tagliatelle displayed in its perfect proportions – 1mm by 6mm (that’s barely 0.04 by 0.24 inches).
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Tagliatelle sauces
These pasta ribbons have a wide, porous surface so they’re perfect served with thick and creamy sauces as well as shaved hard cheeses. That said, with the right recipe they can also work well with lighter sauces as long as there is some liquid for the pasta to soak up.
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Long ribbons: pappardelle
Longer and broader than tagliatelle, pappardelle originates from Tuscany and borrows its name from the Italian word pappare – to gobble up, which is exactly what this pasta is meant to do with sauce.
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Pappardelle sauces
These weighty pasta ribbons do well with a heavy and rich meat sauce known as ragù. The meat is usually slow cooked in a heavily seasoned tomato (and often wine) sauce to ensure a soft texture that melts in your mouth. Any cream-based or oily roasted vegetable sauce will also be a good combination, as you want the pasta to absorb as much of the sauce as possible.
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Long ribbons: fettuccine
The smallest of the three ribbon pastas, fettuccine is most popular in Roman and Tuscan cuisines. More closely resembling wide rice noodles, fettuccine is much flatter and also more narrow than pappardelle and tagliatelle.
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Fettuccine sauces
As the pasta is quite thin, it needs an oily or buttery sauce to prevent it from sticking together. Although it’s also great paired with lighter ingredients like seafood or spring vegetables, there’s nothing more classic than fettuccine alfredo. A simple sauce of butter, Parmesan and double cream, it’s a simple yet comforting dish.
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Long and skinny: spaghetti
Spaghetti is arguably one the best-known types of pasta and its history can be traced as far back as 12th-century Sicily. However, it wasn’t until the late 20th century that the shorter spaghetti we know today gained popularity and became a common pantry staple.
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Spaghetti sauces
Spaghetti’s round shape makes it perfect for twirling around a fork, so it’s usually served with an oily or buttery sauce. Traditional options include vongole (clams), carbonara (egg, pancetta and a hard cheese) and a simple, yet incredibly delicious aglio e olio (olive oil, garlic and chili).
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Curved pasta: conchiglie
The name of these pasta shells – conchiglie – is derived from the Italian word for a seashell. They’re popular for their ability to hold a lot of sauce. These pasta shells are often available in various different natural colors, including red (tomato powder), green (spinach extract) or even a dark gray/purple (squid ink).
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Conchiglie sauces
This shape is well suited to thick and chunky sauces, which collect inside the shell and stick to the ribbed outside surface. Pair conchiglie with an ample serving of pesto or tomato sauce, and cheese, vegetables or meat.
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Curved pasta: orecchiette
These little ears originate from Apulia, the region located in Italy’s heel. Made with durum wheat and water, typical in southern Italian homes, the pasta is rolled and then cut into cubes. Each cube is then pressed with a knife and dragged along a board to curl it. It’s then inverted over the thumb. Orecchiette is certainly one of the most time-consuming pasta shapes to make.
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Orecchiette sauces
The little dents in orecchiette are great for holding little bits of meat or vegetables, and is where a bit of sauce always pools. In Apulia, these little ears are traditionally served with a variety of vegetables, like broccoli or cauliflower, and in some regions they’re dressed with a tomato sauce and mini meatballs.
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Tubes: penne
One of the most commonly used shapes for pasta bakes, penne can be lische (smooth) or rigate (furrowed). Traditionally cooked al dente, they’re easily recognizable due to their tube-like shape and diagonal cuts at each end.
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Penne sauces
The smooth-surfaced penne is great in chunkier sauces, while rigate’s bumpy surface is brilliant at picking up more silky sauce. It’s especially popular with marinara and arrabiata sauces, and is great in pasta bakes as it holds its shape well.
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Tubes: rigatoni
Especially popular in Sicily and southern Italy, rigatoni are larger than penne and have straight-cut ends. This pasta’s name comes from the Italian word rigato, which means ridged or lined, and refers to the ridges down the length of each tube.
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Rigatoni sauces
Rigatoni is a sturdy pasta so it pairs well with heavy, meaty sauces and those with a rich tomato base. It also works great in baked pasta dishes and for something completely different, you can try it in a mac ‘n’ cheese too.
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Tubes: cannelloni
Excellent for stuffing and baking, cannelloni are usually made from fresh pasta sheets used for lasagna. The dried pre-rolled variety has gained popularity though due to its convenience – just make sure you pick good-quality pasta.
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Cannelloni sauces
The most traditional cannelloni recipe calls for a ricotta and spinach stuffing smothered in a tangy tomato sauce with generous lashings of béchamel sauce on top. Don’t feel limited by the classics though – try stuffing the tubes with a tomato meat sauce, then covering in béchamel and baking.
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Tubes: macaroni
In North America and large parts of Europe macaroni refers to the elbow-shaped pasta, but in Italy maccheroni describes straight and longer tubed pasta. It’s also a commonly-used word to describe a spaghetti-like pasta variety maccheroni alla chitarra – traditional in the Abruzzo region.
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Macaroni sauces
Italians use macaroni-like pasta in stews and casseroles, however there’s nothing quite like a macaroni cheese or American mac ‘n’ cheese. For a more adventurous and luxurious take on this comfort food classic you can add shellfish like lobster or crayfish – a recipe popular in steakhouses.
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Twists: fusilli
Resembling a corkscrew, the fusilli we’re familiar with are the most common of seven fusilli varieties including spirale, bucati corti and doppia rigatura. It is believed that the name comes from the Italian word fuso, which means spindle, presumably alluding to the way fusilli is traditionally made by pressing and rolling a small rod over the pasta.
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Fusilli sauces
Fusilli’s twisted surface is perfect for sauce to catch on and slide down. It’s great in pasta bakes as it holds its shape well and it also works nicely in pasta salads as the shapes stay intact. Any kind of creamy, thick white or tomato sauce will be brilliant with fusilli.
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Twists: casarecce
This free-form pasta originates from Sicily but is popular all across the southern Italy. The word casarecce literally means homemade, from Italian casareccio, alluding to its loosely shaped, homemade appearance.
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Casarecce sauces
Another shape that’s great for catching sauce, the little crevices on casarecce make sure the sauce is captured and held in there. Serve with any thicker cheese or cream sauces or the Sicilian way – with pesto alla Trapanese. Hailing from Trapani in Sicily, the recipe combines ripe vine tomatoes with ricotta, Parmesan, pine nuts and garlic in a rich, thick sauce that is perfect tossed with casarecce.
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Twists: farfalle
Commonly known as bow-tie pasta, the Italian word farfalla actually means butterfly, hinting at the pasta’s shape. The history of this pasta can be traced all the way back to the 16th century and it’s most popular in the Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy regions of northern Italy. Interestingly, in the city of Modena, farfalle is instead known as strichetti.
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Farfalle sauces
Farfalle is extremely versatile and can be used with a wide variety of sauces as well as in salads. It works especially great with lighter ingredients and meat-free sauces as the twisted center of farfalle offers a meatier bite.
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Filled pasta: ravioli
It’s hard to pinpoint ravioli’s place of origin as mentions of filled pasta date as far back as the 14th century in Venice and Rome, as well as in the Tuscan town of Prato. Typically square, ravioli can also be circular or moon-shaped (mezzelune). They’re similar to another variety of filled pasta – agnolotti – which is specific to the Piedmont region and traditionally filled with roasted meat or vegetables.
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Ravioli sauces
As traditional ravioli include hearty fillings like ricotta, butternut squash, meat ragù or seafood, it’s best to keep the sauce simple and serve these little parcels like originally intended – with browned butter and sage. Another recipe is filling the pasta with ricotta and egg yolk, which oozes out on the plate and covers the ravioli instead of a sauce.
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Filled pasta: tortellini
A staple of Emilia-Romagna, tortellini are particularly famous in Bologna and Modena. Legend says the dish was created for Lucrezia Borgia, from the noble House of Borgia, when she spent a night in Modena. The innkeeper was so captivated by Lucrezia’s beauty he had to peek through the keyhole, but all he could see was her navel. This was said to have inspired him to create tortellini that night.
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Tortellini sauces
Typically stuffed with a mix of meat or cheese, or both, tortellini are traditionally served with a broth (brodo) rather than a sauce. The most popular options include vegetable or light poultry broths, but don’t feel bound by tradition as these morsels are fantastic with tomatoes and cheese.
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Mini shapes: orzo
These mini pasta shapes, reminiscent of a rice grain, are the cause of many misunderstandings around the world. While we know orzo as pasta, the Italian word orzo actually means barley and the pasta in Italy is referred to as risoni. To make matters worse, you can also make a risotto-like dish with orzo pasta, while in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, a region in northeast Italy, a typical risotto type dish called orzotto is made with barley.
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Orzo sauces
Orzo is brilliant for soaking up flavor so it’s great in soups and casseroles. You can also serve it in dressed salads, and it’s commonly used in the classic Italian soup minestrone. Other hearty and filling winter soups and broths will also benefit from orzo and it’s great for bulking up dishes too.
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