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Common Pasta Shapes and Varieties

There are so many varieties of pasta, it is easy to get confused. Here are some common varieties broken down into four categories: long, short, tubular and stuffed.

Long Pastas:

Bucatini – a long, hollow noodle that resembles a drinking straw. Originating from the Southern regions, the word bucato means “with a hole”. When broken into thirds and served with sauce, this noodle absorbs the flavor inside adding more flavor to each bite. Its good with semi-thick sauces, or just buttered with spices.

Spaghetti- means “little strings” in Italian. as nearly everyone knows, is the very prototype of long pasta. Typically about 10 inches long, and perfect for, well, spaghetti. It does tempt nearly everyone to overindulge in a fine tomato sauce. Recently, because its high in fiber and flavor, whole wheat spaghetti is becoming increasingly popular.

Vermicelli - A little thinner spaghetti, the name means little worms, named after the squirming motion the noodles make when surrounded by sauce and swirled around a fork. Don't let the name put you off; this is the original pasta for spaghetti and meatballs, and is also well suited for use with lighter sauces and soups. It tends to get smothered if the tomato sauce is too heavy, but it works quite well plain or with a nice cream sauce.

Capellini or Angel Hair - means “thin hair” and is one of the thinnest cut spaghetti noodles. It is a very quick process to prepare because it needs only to boil for a few minutes. It goes well with white sauces and in soups or broken up and sprinkled on a salad.

Fettuccine - the name means “little ribbons”, and is a long, flat noodle usually ¼” wide. The perfect pasta under a fine cream sauce, they can also be used in cheese dishes and alongside meat. Alfredo is only one of the many ways to make use of this fine pasta. Fettuccine is available in many flavors including spinach.

Linguine - The name means “little tongues” because its original shape resembled the thickness of a song birds tongue. Linguine is a flat, thin noodle about midway between a spaghetti and fettuccine. Perfect with just about any sauce, especially light sauces such as clam sauce or pesto.

Lasagna- A larger, wider, heavier strip of pasta about 2 inches wide with either ruffled or straight edges. Used for, like the name says, lasagna, But don't short change it lasagna. It also does well with chopped vegetables and a wide variety of other combinations and makes a great base for other types of casseroles.

Short Pastas:

Rosamarina (Orzo) – tiny, rice-shaped pasta, also known as orzo. Terrific and salads, side dishes and in soups. It also makes a great substitute for rice.

Ditalini - Tiny pasta cut into short segments resembling thimbles. Two types are available: lisci (smooth) are good in soups and salads; and regati (grooved) which is good for chunky sauces that cling to its ridges.

Cavatappi - corkscrew-shaped pasta with
a hollow middle, making it perfect
for thick and creamy vegetable,
meat and seafood sauces.

Orecchiette - means “little ears”. Tiny disk-shaped pasta great with vegetable or meat in sauces.

Farfalle(bow-tie) aptly named as it resembles a bow-tie. Traditionally, this pasta is accompanied by colorful sauces, with fresh herbs or ripe vegetables such as sweet bell peppers or zucchini. Miniature bow-ties are known as tripolini and are used in soups and salads.

Campanelle - in the shape of a small
cone with a ruffled edge. Also known as gigli. It is suited for thick sauces or casseroles.

Fusilli – corkscrew shaped long or short curled pasta from southern Italy. Originally from Naples is also known as eliche or “propellers” for its quality of trapping particles of the sauce and propelling them between their teeth and tongue. You might also find fusilli shaped like tiny cork screws with hollow middles. This pasta is almost identical to Rotini but rotini is slightly bigger, thicker with a tighter spiral.

Gemelli (twist)- is a short, twisted pasta that resembles two strand of spaghetti wound together. This pasta lends itself well to light vegetable or olive oil-based sauces.

Rotelle- The name derives from the Italian word for little wheels. They are also known as wagon wheel pasta. Because of its shape and small size, it goes quite well with soups or salads.

Mafalda – often referred to as a mini-lasagna noodle. It is available in a short length as a meat lasagna, or a long flat narrow noodle with curled edges popular for sauces with seafood.

Tubular:

Mostaccioli- A specialty of the Campania region in southern Italy, this short cut pasta is about 2 inches long. These tubular “mustaches” have slanted cuts at both ends and usually a smooth surface good for chunky tomato, meat and cream sauces. Also often used in baked dishes with tomato sauce and cheese.

Ziti – a short, tubular noodle with a smooth surface. It is very similar to mostaccioli, and is well suited for chunky sauces and meat sauces.

Penne (means “feather”) – a short pasta about 1 ¼ inch long tubular in shape with slanted cuts at both ends. Penne can have a smooth or a groove to finish. It is narrower than mostaccioli. It is excellent with tomato and vegetable sauces.

Rigatoni- short, wide tubular shape pasta with lengthwise grooves, about 1 inch long and larger than ziti or mostaccioli. It’s suitable for most chunky sauces and meat sauces and baked pasta dishes.

Stuffed Pasta:

Shells: Made in jumbo, medium and small sizes. Jumbo shells are great stuffed; medium and small shells are more suited to thick sauces, soups and salads.

Ravioli- Square, pillow-shaped pasta usually made with a stuffing of spinach and cheese and is popular in several Italian regions. In America, it is often stuffed with cheese and meats and served with tomato sauce.

Tortellini- Little rings of pasta filled with cheese, originally from the city of Bologna. The fresh, refrigerated products are offered in many flavors with a variety of filling such as Italian sausage and chicken. It is usually served with a tomato or cream sauce or in soups and salads.

Manicotti (cannelloni) - a large, 4 inch tubular noodle that is usually stuffed and baked. Derived from the word canna, meaning “hollow cane”. Used to house meat and cheese, or stuffed with vegetables, this pasta is very recipe friendly. Cover with a fine tomato sauce and you've got a meal.

Common Pasta Shapes and Varieties

Long Pastas:

Short Pastas:

Tubular:

Stuffed Pasta:

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