By Khurram Khan
T here’s something tortuous about asking anyone to pick their favorite pasta shape. After all, every noodle has its merits. Long ribbons of spaghetti and pappardelle make great vehicles for velvety carbonara, while thick tubes of rigatoni all but hide meaty ragu. And then there are the fun shapes, like spirals of cavatappi and twisted trofie. But the point is that you will be amazed by how good pasta is and how it is really one of the best and most delicious kinds of food you can indulge in. But while the first pasta dish that comes to your mind is likely some kind of noodles with traditional red sauce, pasta can do a whole lot more than spaghetti and meatballs. For example, farfalle makes a great base for refreshing summer pasta salads and macaroni makes a hearty addition to comforting soups. Finding the right shape is more than whatever you have in your pantry. Each type of pasta has unique qualities that make it better suited to certain sauces, cooking methods, or accompanying ingredients. Here’s an overview o
i f some of the most popular pasta shapes and adding little nutritional value to them with toppings. So let’s look into it:
PASTA AND THEIR KINDS!
Capellini, or more commonly known as angel hair pasta, is one of the thinnest types of pasta with a diameter ranging between 0.85 and 0.92 millimeters. The long, delicate strands of capellini pasta are best paired with light sauces, as the noodles will get lost in something like a hearty meat sauce.
The flat, ribbon-like shape of fettuccine makes it a sturdy pasta that can hold up to a variety of sauces. It’s best known; however, for the popular dish fettuccine alfredo.
Fusilli gives any dish an unexpected twist with its spiral shape. These short noodles pair well with nearly any sauce, but they also make great summer pasta salads that you can bring on a picnic or to the neighborhood potluck.
The fun shape of this pasta earned it its nickname “bow tie pasta.” Farfalle is a versatile pasta shape that can be used in most recipes that call for a short pasta. It pairs particularly well with meat and vegetable dishes.
Long, thin, flat linguine noodles fall somewhere between the thickness of fettuccine and spaghetti. Linguine is best known for its ability to compliment clam-based sauces and other seafood dishes.
Whether it’s homemade or from a box, macaroni and cheese is a crowd-pleaser. The tube-shape of macaroni pasta is perfect for cream sauces or anything with melty cheese because the hollow inside fills with whatever it’s paired with.
Orecchiette translates to “little ears” because the pasta’s concave shape resembles an ear. The indent picks up vegetables or whatever else it’s paired with, making it a great carrier of stronger flavors.
Pappardelle noodles are similar to fettuccine in that they’re flat, but pappardelle is wider than fettuccine. While it’s not usually a household staple, pappardelle is a popular type of pasta for hearty meat sauces like bolognese. Its name is appropriately derived from the verb “pappare,” which means to gobble up.
Linguine is the best pasta shape of all time for several reasons. Our all-time favorite pasta dish is linguine con vongole, and there is no other pasta shape that is a better match for this dish. Unlike spaghetti, linguine’s flat shape offers a larger base to absorb the rich yet light garlic and wine sauce – allowing for the ultimate marriage of pasta and clams. Linguine can hold up to other seafood sauces while also pairing impeccably with delicate sauces, such as aglio, olio e prezzemolo. Not to mention, linguine absolutely upstages spaghetti when it comes to pomodoro or marinara.
Penne is a classic pasta type and pantry staple. The short, tube-shape and hollow center makes it suitable for all sorts of sauces and pairings, from chunky meat sauces to delicate creams.
And ofcourse spaghetti is one of the most, if not the most, well-known types of pasta. Likely because spaghetti and meatballs is a quintessential pasta dish that nearly everyone has eaten at some point. It’s a long, thin, and round noodle that pairs wonderfully with a multitude of flavors.
This is definitely one of the major Italian dishes you want. You would love the many kinds- they go great with a range of toppings and you would be amazed by the tastes that come out!
