There are literally hundreds of different shapes of pasta. When preparing pasta dishes, keep in mind that thin, strand pastas are best with light sauces, while sturdy tube or shaped pastas are better with heavy or chunky sauces.

We have broken the shapes of pasta into five catgories: strand pasta, tube pasta, shaped pasta, soup pasta and filled pasta.

Strand pasta is long rods of pasta which are round. The difference in the types of strand pasta is in the thickness.

Capelli d'Angelo (Angel Hair) - Very thin spaghetti that takes only a minute or two to cook

Cappellini - Thicker than Angel Hair, but thinner than spaghetti

Fussili - Twisted thin strands that are hollow in the center

Spaghetti - Long thin stands

Spaghettini - Slightly thinner strands than spaghetti

Vermicilli - Very slightly thinner than spaghettini

Ribbon pasta is flat strands which come in a variety of lengths and widths.

Fettuccine - 1/4" wide and about 10" long

Lasagne - Very wide ribbons about 2"-3" wide and 12" long

Linguine - 1/8" wide and about 10" long - looks like flattened spaghetti

Pappardelle - 1" wide with rippled edges

Tube Pasta is any type of pasta that is hollow through the center, forming a tube or cylinder. Some are smooth on the outside, while others are ridged. They can be long or short, narrow or wide. Tube pasta hold heavy sauces and are often stuffed and baked in casseroles

Cannelloni - Large tubes about 1" wide and 4" long with a smooth surface

Elbow Macaroni - Narrow width, 1" long, curved shape

Manicotti - Large tubes, several inches long, noramlly with ridged surface

Penne - 1 1/2" long, diagnally cut ends, resembling a pen

Rigatoni - 1/2" wide, 1 1/2" long, slightly curved with ridged surface

Ziti - 1/4" wide, varies in length from 1" to 10"

Shaped pasta comes in dozens of different shapes. Below are the more popular types. Shaped pasta is often flavored with spinach, tomato, beets or saffron.

Conchiglie - Shells

Farfalle - Bow ties

Fusilli - Corkscrews/twists

Lumache - Snails

Radiatore - Radiators

Rotelle - Wagon wheels

Rotini - Spirals

Tagliatelle - Egg noodles, slightly twisted

These small shaped pasta are used in soups and salads. In addition to the ones below, small version of bow tie, shells and corkscrews can also be used for soups.

Alfabeto - Alphabet

Anelli - Rings

Ditaloni - Thimbles

Ruote - Wheels

Stelline - Stars

These filled or stuffed pastas are normally best when made fresh.

Agnolotti - Crescent shaped pasta filled with meat or cheese

Gnocchi - Dumplings which have potatoes, spinach or cheese in dough

Ravioli - Round or square filled with beef or cheese

Tortillini - Small, ring shaped pasta filled with cheese, spinach, chicken or other fillings