Pasta shapes & the sauces they love
Every pasta shape has a sauce it was made for. Here are 60 shapes with their meaning, region and best pairings.
Long pastaSpaghettiSpaghetti is long, round, solid pasta — the most popular shape in the world.Long pastaSpaghetti alla ChitarraSpaghetti alla chitarra is a square-edged egg pasta cut on a wire frame called a chitarra.Long pastaLinguineLinguine are flat, narrow long pasta, slightly wider than spaghetti.Long pastaBucatiniBucatini are thick spaghetti with a hollow center running through them.Long egg pastaFettuccineFettuccine are flat egg-pasta ribbons associated with Rome.Long egg pastaTagliatelleTagliatelle are flat egg-pasta ribbons about 6–8 mm wide, the classic partner for Bolognese ragù.Long egg pastaPappardellePappardelle are very wide, flat egg-pasta ribbons.Long egg pastaTajarinTajarin are very thin, golden Piedmontese egg noodles made with lots of yolks.Long egg pastaTonnarelliTonnarelli are square-cut fresh egg spaghetti used in Rome.Long pastaPiciPici are thick, hand-rolled spaghetti from the Siena area made from flour and water.Long pastaBigoliBigoli are thick, rough whole-wheat or buckwheat strands extruded through a press.Long pastaVermicelliVermicelli are long pasta, in Italy usually thicker than spaghetti.Long pastaCapellini / Angel HairCapellini, or angel hair, are very thin long pasta that cook in 2–3 minutes.Long pastaTrenetteTrenette are narrow, flat Ligurian pasta similar to linguine.Tube pastaPennePenne are short tubes cut on a diagonal; penne rigate have ridges to hold sauce.Tube pastaRigatoniRigatoni are large ridged tubes cut square at the ends.Tube pastaZitiZiti are long, smooth tubes traditionally broken by hand and served at Neapolitan weddings.Tube pastaPaccheriPaccheri are very wide, smooth tubes from Naples.Tube pastaMezze ManicheMezze maniche are short, wide ridged tubes, half the length of rigatoni.Tube pastaMaccheroniMaccheroni is a general southern term for short tubular pasta.Small tube pastaDitaliniDitalini are tiny short tubes used mainly in soups.Tube pastaCalamarataCalamarata are thick rings that look like sliced squid.Twisted pastaFusilliFusilli are short corkscrew spirals that trap sauce in their twists.Twisted pastaGemelliGemelli look like two strands twisted together, though they are made from one.Twisted pastaCasarecceCasarecce are short rolled and twisted S-shaped strips from Sicily.Twisted pastaStrozzapretiStrozzapreti are hand-rolled twisted lengths with a joking name about greedy priests.Twisted pastaTrofieTrofie are small hand-rolled twists from Liguria, the classic pesto pasta.Short pastaFarfalleFarfalle are bow-tie pasta pinched in the middle.Short pastaOrecchietteOrecchiette are small ear-shaped discs pressed with a thumb, the signature pasta of Puglia.Short pastaCavatelliCavatelli are small curled shells of semolina dough dragged with a finger.Short pastaMalloreddusMalloreddus are small ridged semolina gnocchetti from Sardinia, often with saffron.Short pastaConchiglieConchiglie are seashell-shaped pasta; the large ones (conchiglioni) are stuffed.Short pastaLumacheLumache are snail-shell shapes with a wide opening that cups sauce.Short pastaRadiatoriRadiatori are ruffled shapes designed in the 20th century to look like heaters.Short pastaRotelleRotelle are wagon-wheel pasta popular with children.Pastina pastaOrzo / RisoniOrzo, called risoni in Italy, is rice-shaped small pasta.Pastina pastaStellineStelline are tiny star-shaped pasta cooked in broth, a classic for children.Pastina pastaFregolaFregola are toasted semolina pearls from Sardinia.Sheet pastaLasagneLasagne are wide flat sheets layered with sauce and baked.Sheet pastaCannelloniCannelloni are large tubes or rolled sheets filled and baked in sauce.Filled pastaRavioliRavioli are square or round filled pasta pockets.Filled pastaTortelliniTortellini are small ring-shaped filled egg pasta from Bologna and Modena.Filled pastaTortelloniTortelloni are larger versions of tortellini, usually with ricotta and herb fillings.Filled pastaAgnolotti del PlinAgnolotti del plin are tiny Piedmontese meat-filled pasta sealed with a pinch.Filled pastaCappellettiCappelletti are hat-shaped filled pasta similar to tortellini.Filled pastaCulurgionesCulurgiones are Sardinian potato-and-pecorino dumplings sealed with a wheat-ear braid.Filled pastaMezzeluneMezzelune are half-moon-shaped filled pasta.Dumpling pastaGnocchiGnocchi are soft dumplings, usually of potato and flour.Dumpling pastaGnudiGnudi are ravioli filling without the pasta — ricotta and spinach dumplings.Dumpling pastaCanederliCanederli are large bread dumplings with speck or cheese.Short pastaAnellettiAnelletti are small rings used in Sicily's baked timballo.Tube egg pastaGarganelliGarganelli are ridged egg-pasta tubes rolled diagonally on a comb.Short pastaCampanelleCampanelle are bell-shaped ruffled cones.Long pastaLaganeLagane are wide, short ribbons, one of the oldest documented pasta forms.Long pastaPizzoccheriPizzoccheri are short buckwheat ribbons from Valtellina.Stamped pastaCorzettiCorzetti are thin coins of pasta stamped with wooden molds.Long pastaScialatielliScialatielli are short, thick fresh ribbons from the Amalfi Coast.Twisted pastaBusiateBusiate are long corkscrews wrapped around a thin rod.Long egg pastaTaglioliniTagliolini are thin flat egg noodles, narrower than tagliatelle.Long pastaMafaldineMafaldine are long ribbons with ruffled edges.