In Italy, every shape has a meaning, created to complement different sauces or fillings. Pairing them has become a commonplace and common sense for Italians. To help you better understand pasta, here are a few “shape vs. sauce” pairings for reference only.

Slim Pasta

Slim pasta includes the world-famous spaghetti, which is medium-thick, as well as the thicker and flatter linguine and the thinnest angel hair. Sauces suitable for this type of pasta are typically lighter tomato sauce, white sauce, and olive oil sauce. However, olive oil and garlic alone can be quite delicious.

Classic pasta dishes using long noodles include carbonara, which uses fresh cream and egg yolk as a sauce; aglio e olio, which uses garlic, chili peppers, and olive oil as a sauce; and pasta al pomodoro, which uses a tomato sauce and is topped with Parmesan cheese.

Spiral Pasta

Spiral pasta includes rotini, fusilli, and gemelli. While their spiral shapes differ slightly, they can be used interchangeably in cooking.

Suitable sauces for this type of pasta include slightly thicker pesto and tomato sauces with herbs, as well as any light sauces with chopped vegetables like spinach. The reason for this is that the herbs and vegetables are caught in the spirals, adding a layer of flavor.

Classic sauces for spiral pasta include amatriciana, a traditional Italian tomato sauce made with tomatoes, bacon, and chili peppers, and pesto, a pesto made with fresh cream, spinach, and pine nuts.

Tube Pasta

Tube pasta includes macaroni, a smooth, curved pasta, as well as penne and rigatoni. Penne is cut diagonally and has straight lines on its surface, while rigatoni is cut vertically and has spiral lines on its surface.

Sauces for this type of pasta are considered thick enough to cling to the surface and tube of the pasta. Tomato meat sauce and rich cheese sauces are particularly suitable.

Classic sauces for tube pasta include arrabbiata, a spicy tomato sauce made with tomatoes, chili peppers, and basil, and ragù, a meat sauce made with tomatoes, beef, or other meats, sometimes with Italian sausage.

Pasta Shells

Shell-shaped pasta shells include the more common conchiglie, the snail-shell-shaped pipe rigate, and the long, narrow cavatelli. Like the tube-shaped pasta mentioned earlier, these pastas are considered suitable for thicker sauces, especially meat sauces and white sauces made with heavy cream.

Shell-shaped pasta shells differ from the other pasta shells in two key ways: First, the smaller shells are often cooked in soups.

Second, the larger shells can be stuffed. The most common filling is ricotta cheese and spinach, but other ingredients, such as meat sauce, can also be added and baked in the oven.

Sheet-shaped pasta shells

A world-famous sheet-shaped pasta is lasagna, which uses the delicious Bolognese meat sauce.

The standard recipe for Italy’s official authentic Bolognese lasagna (Lasagne Verdi alla Bolognese), established by the Bolognese Chamber of Commerce, is as follows:

• First, butter the bottom of a deep baking dish. Then, spread a layer of Bolonese ragù and béchamel sauce on top to prevent the noodles from sticking.
• Place the first layer of lasagna sheets on top of the sauce.
• Add a thin layer of white sauce to the second layer.
• Add a generous amount of meat sauce to the third layer.
• Add butter flakes and Parmesan cheese to the fourth layer.
• Add layers in this order, stacking at least six times.
• After stacking, spread the top layer with a mixture of meat sauce, white sauce, a little butter flakes, and a pinch of Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. It’s recommended to wait 5 minutes after removing from the oven before serving.

Other Pasta Pairings

Ravioli and tortellini pair well with lighter white sauces, tomato sauce, or olive oil sauces.
Pastas like the bow-shaped farfalle, orecchiette, and wheel-shaped ruote are great in soups, stews, salads, and gratins.
Orzo pasta is great as a rice dish.
Like large shell pasta, paccheri is best stuffed and baked.