A Guide To Pasta Shapes And The Best Way To Use Them

People across cultures have been making and cooking pasta for centuries, resulting in a wealth of pasta styles. What began as a regional foodstuff spread across the world, becoming something that is almost an essential part of the food pyramid. It's often thought that Marco Polo brought it back from China, where noodles were made from rice flour, according to historian Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. But while the Chinese did develop the art of the noodle, McGee claims that other pastas already existed in Europe even before then.

The beauty of pasta is its versatility. You're just as likely to eat it at home as comfort food as you are in a fine restaurant. A bowl of pasta is like a canvas waiting for a masterpiece, with as many different toppings and sauces as there are colors of paint in the world. The Los Angeles Times reports that what makes pasta so adaptable is its variety of shape and texture, along with how easy it is to make. Though the ingredients are essentially the same (flour, water, and/or eggs, writes Allrecipes), dishes can taste drastically different depending on the preparation, which is determined by form. The geometry of the pasta dictates which sauces, vegetables, and proteins work best in combination. So, knowing your ABCs of pasta shapes can help you boil an ordinary dinner into a memorable meal. 

Ribbon-shaped pasta is well-suited for many preparations. You can choose from a full range of widths, including linguini, fettuccine, tagliatelle, and pappardelle. Despite their varying dimensions, most ribbon pastas will work with most recipes, so which one you choose comes down to preference. Here are a few points to note.

First, linguine. In Italian, linguini translates to "little tongues." Thinner than other flat varieties, it pairs best with medium-bodied ingredients. Think vegetables, pesto, or seafood-based dishes. As with spaghetti, the wider you go with ribbons, the heartier your sauce can be. There's simply more room to hold it. Next, fettuccini and tagliarini do well with meat and cream sauces. Thicker noodles are often rolled out with wooden pins, which gives them a texture that heavier sauce can grip, says Francine Segan in La Cucina Italiana. Finally, tagliatelle and pappardelle are the widest pasta choices in this category, and both are egg-based, an attribute that gives them a deep flavor when matched with a rich ragu or heavy, cheesy sauce.

When it comes to childhood comfort foods, the endless range of shell-shaped pasta deserves a word. The differences come down to size and texture. The smallest is conchigliette, which you'll often find paired with a box of Velvetta. Conchiglie is next, and then the jumbo-sized conchiglioni. In addition to this collection of shells, there is lumache, which resembles a snail's shell.

As it turns out, Velvetta's use of shell pasta as a mac-and-cheese base is a good example of how to prepare this style. Shell pasta is a perfect pairing for rich, creamy sauces, says BBC Good Food. Its cavity will become a flavor-filled reservoir when stuffed and baked with soft cheese and vegetables, according to The Pasta Project. Similarly, larger shells such as conchiglioni and lumaconi have more surface area for delicate or thin sauces to spread over. All in all, shell pasta is a fun shape with many uses, each one giving adults permission to play with their food again.

Spirals are common shapes that line grocery store shelves. Whether fusilli, rotini, cavatappi, and ultra-short radiatori, twisty noodles are versatile and easy to cook. There are, though, subtle differences between a corkscrew and a spring, for example, which can make for a different experience when it comes to density and texture. The one thing they all have in common? A firm and bouncy bite when prepared properly al dente. 

Fusilli's spiraling shape has ruts that are great for catching sauces and trapping gobs of meat and vegetables, says Share the Pasta. Its cousin rotini is more of an Americanized pasta, but this doesn't stop it from having similar cooking uses. Whether it's a creamy carbonara or a chunky bolognese, hefty toppings are a great pairing for twisted pasta. 

As for the shortest of the bunch, radiatori has deep cuts that pair nicely with finely chopped morsels, says The Pasta Project. This makes sense, as the short coils don't appear big enough to hold onto larger pieces of food. But just because you're avoiding bulky toppings doesn't mean you have to drop thick pasta sauces too. As we've reported here at Mashed, radiatori can handle dense toppings as long as they're smooth. 

Pasta can be simple, and pasta can be sophisticated. But sometimes, you just want pasta to be easy. You could argue that there is nothing really difficult about gobbling noodles, except that sometimes it can get messy and that becomes trouble in itself. One of the neatest and most straightforward pasta shapes is the granular style. Couscous, often mistaken as a grain, is one type of miniature pasta that couldn't be more uncomplicated. Another is the rice-shaped orzo pasta. Granular pasta will be your ticket to a quick but substantial dinner.

Couscous is a staple food that hails from the Berber rulers of Algiers, Morocco, and Tunisia, says The Washington Post. These cuisines are spice-heavy, so the neutrality of this small but mighty starch makes it an excellent pairing for zesty foods, says Epicurious. Additionally, topping it with butter, oil, or light seasonings will give you a fluffy dinner side. Moroccan couscous is a smaller variety typically found in the grocery store, and it works as a good substitute for breadcrumbs when making foods such as meatballs or meatloaf. The pea-shaped Israeli variety is closer in texture to traditional pasta.

Orzo is a small rice-shaped pasta that has similar uses to couscous. It's also a great addition to soups. Greeks and Italians have been using orzo as a soup ingredient for generations, according to The New York Times. You can also serve it chilled with lighter toppings such as olive oil and lemon, butter, or vinaigrette. Finely chop onions, peppers, or spinach and toss in capers for a flavorful dish.

Nothing says effortless meal like stuffed pasta. Infused with taste and loaded with all sorts of cheese, pureed veggies, meats, or herbs, these flavor pockets are reliable answers to a rumbling stomach. The most well-known styles are ravioli and dumpling-esque tortellini, though the more niche mezzelune (which resembles an Italian empanada) is also choice to have around, says Taste Atlas. Often a celebratory food for Italians, according to Culture Trip, ravioli can make any occasion feel festive. Serve it with sauce, or embrace its stuffing and leave it bare. 

Tortellini has a unique relationship to being in the buff. Journalist Sylvia Poggioli reports for NPR that the idea for this pasta shape was inspired by the navel of the ancient goddess Venus, depicted in a famous Renaissance painting by Sandro Botticelli. "The Birth of Venus" shows a woman floating across a lake, a familiar scene for pasta lovers who traditionally eat tortellini as a soup dumpling, according to La Cucina Italiana. And while you can certainly serve it dressed in a range of sauces, this stuffed pasta is happiest being blown across a brothy bowl.

Whether in soup, sauce, or served plain, stuffed pasta is the filled treat that will leave your belly bursting. 

Gnocchi is actually the predecessor to many other forms of our favorite pasta, says Saveur Magazine. A wide array of ingredients are used to make gnocchi, a plump dumpling that often has ridges scoured into the sides, but it's known mainly as a potato pasta. Gnocchi is made from a paste-like dough, which is rolled into ropes, sliced into cubes, and boiled until they float. Many preparations include searing them in a pan afterward.

Unlike its dumpling cousin, tortellini, gnocchi is not typically served floating in broth. Because of its soft texture, it has a high chance of becoming gummy when drenched in broth or boiled for too long, says Bon Appétit. Instead, consider frying and roasting it. The cooked texture should be soft and supple, while the flavor is neutral like the potato it takes to make them. It makes a delicious and satisfying base for a bright, tangy tomato sauce. The ridges will grab on to ingredients