Types of Pasta: 30 Italian Pasta Shapes and How to Use Them
Italy makes hundreds of pasta shapes, and each one exists for a reason: to hold a certain sauce, to cook in a certain way, or to suit a regional dish. This guide covers the 30 shapes you are most likely to cook at home, grouped by family, with the sauce that suits each one best.
The golden rule: thin, smooth sauces go with long, thin pasta; chunky sauces go with short shapes that have ridges, holes or cups to trap them; rich, creamy sauces go with wide egg pasta.
Long pasta
| Shape | What it looks like | Best with |
|---|---|---|
| Spaghetti | Long, round strands | Tomato, garlic and oil, carbonara, clams |
| Capellini (angel hair) | Very thin strands | Light butter, lemon or fresh tomato sauces |
| Bucatini | Thick spaghetti with a hole through the center | Amatriciana, cacio e pepe |
| Linguine | Flattened spaghetti | Pesto, seafood |
| Long fusilli | Long spirals | Pesto, light tomato sauces |
Try: organic bronze die spaghetti, capellini, bucatini and long fusilli.
Egg pasta ribbons
| Shape | What it looks like | Best with |
|---|---|---|
| Tagliatelle | Flat egg ribbons about 1/4 inch wide | Bolognese ragù, mushrooms, butter and parmesan |
| Fettuccine | Slightly wider, thicker ribbons | Alfredo and cream sauces |
| Pappardelle | Very wide ribbons | Slow-braised meat ragùs |
Try: tagliatelle with egg, pappardelle and truffle tagliatelle.
Tubes
| Shape | What it looks like | Best with |
|---|---|---|
| Penne rigate | Short, ridged tubes cut on an angle | Arrabbiata, vodka sauce, baked pasta |
| Rigatoni | Wide, ridged tubes | Chunky meat sauces, sausage, baked dishes |
| Ziti | Smooth medium tubes | Baked ziti |
| Paccheri | Very large smooth tubes | Seafood and rich tomato sauces |
| Elbows | Small curved tubes | Mac and cheese, pasta salad, soups |
| Manicotti / cannelloni | Large tubes for stuffing | Ricotta fillings, baked in sauce |
Try: penne rigate, rigatoni and organic elbows.
Twists, bows and shells
| Shape | What it looks like | Best with |
|---|---|---|
| Fusilli | Short spirals | Pesto, pasta salad, tomato sauces |
| Farfalle | Bow ties ("butterflies") | Light cream sauces, pasta salad |
| Conchiglie (shells) | Medium shells | Cheese sauces, peas and ham |
| Conchiglioni | Jumbo shells | Stuffed and baked with ricotta |
| Gigli / campanelle | Ruffled bells | Creamy and cheesy sauces |
| Orecchiette | "Little ears" from Puglia | Broccoli rabe and sausage |
| Cavatappi | Ridged corkscrews | Mac and cheese, baked pasta |
| Rotini | Tight short spirals | Pasta salad |
Try: fusilli, farfalle, shells, conchiglioni and colorful gigli.
Small pasta for soups and salads
| Shape | What it looks like | Best with |
|---|---|---|
| Orzo | Rice-shaped | Salads, soups, one-pan dinners |
| Ditalini | Tiny tubes | Pasta e fagioli, minestrone |
| Acini di pepe | Tiny beads | Wedding soup |
| Stelline | Little stars | Broths, kids' soups |
Try: organic orzo and our lemon orzo salad.
Filled pasta and dumplings
| Shape | What it is | Best with |
|---|---|---|
| Gnocchi | Soft potato dumplings | Tomato and mozzarella, butter and sage, pesto |
| Ravioli | Square filled pasta | Butter and sage, light tomato |
| Tortellini | Ring-shaped filled pasta | Broth, cream sauce |
Try: potato gnocchi and our gnocchi alla Sorrentina.
Specialty and flavored pasta
- Squid ink pasta: black pasta colored with cephalopod ink, made for seafood. Try squid ink farfalle.
- Lemon pasta: pasta flavored with lemon. Try organic lemon farfalle.
- Colorful pasta: naturally colored with vegetables such as spinach, tomato or beet. Try organic colorful pasta.
Bronze die vs regular pasta
The shape is only half the story. Pasta extruded through bronze dies has a rough, matte surface that holds sauce far better than slick, Teflon-cut pasta. Learn more in bronze die vs regular pasta.
Quick answers
How many types of pasta are there? Several hundred regional shapes exist in Italy; around 30 to 50 are common in US stores.
How much dry pasta per person? About 2 to 3 oz (56 to 85 g) for a main course, 1 to 2 oz as a side.
Can I swap shapes in a recipe? Yes, swap within the same family: long for long, tube for tube.
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