Pasta Types & Shapes
Everything you need to know about different pasta shapes and when to use them.
Spaghetti
The world's most popular pasta shape. Long, thin, round strands perfect with virtually any sauce β from bolognese to aglio e olio. Includes spaghettini, spaghettoni, bucatini, and capellini.
Read: Types of Spaghetti Explained βPenne
Tube-shaped pasta cut at an angle with ridges (rigate) or smooth. Sauce gets trapped inside β ideal for chunky meat sauces, arrabbiata, and baked dishes.
Fettuccine
Flat, wide ribbons (6-7mm). The classic partner for rich cream sauces like Alfredo, ragΓΉ, and mushroom cream. Also great with Bolognese.
Rigatoni
Large ridged tubes that hold sauce inside and out. A favourite for baked pasta, vodka sauce, and hearty ragΓΉs. The ridges grip sauce perfectly.
Fusilli / Rotini
Spiral-shaped pasta. The curves catch small bits of vegetables and creamy sauces. Perfect for pasta salads, pesto, and cheese sauces.
Lasagna Sheets
Wide, flat sheets for layering with sauce, cheese, and fillings. Available fresh or dried (no-boil). The foundation of baked pasta.
Farfalle (Bow-Tie)
Butterfly-shaped pasta that catches small bits of sauce in its folds. Great with cream sauces, light vegetables, and pasta salads.
Linguine
Flat spaghetti, wider and flatter. Traditional with seafood β clams (vongole), shrimp, and fish. Also great with pesto.
Orecchiette
Small ear-shaped pasta from Puglia. The cup shape holds chunky vegetable sauces β classic with broccoli rabe and sausage.
Ravioli / Stuffed Pasta
Filled pasta squares or rounds. Stuffed with ricotta, meat, butternut squash, or lobster. Best with simple sauces β brown butter and sage, or light tomato.