Get to know some of your favorite pasta shapes better or find a new favorite with this helpful guide.
Campanelle
Shape: ruffled, delicate cone shape
Pronunciation: kampa-nell-e
Italian for: “Bellflower” or “little bells”
Recommended sauce pairings: thicker sauces in everyday recipes and casseroles
Originally rolled by hand, campanelle lends a beautiful, visual element to just about any dish.
Elbows
Shape: Short tubes with a slight bend in the shape
Recommended sauce pairings: meat, cream, seafood, or vegetable based
Adults and kids alike enjoy this shape in the American favorite, Macaroni & Cheese. Additionally, because this shape is hollow, it pairs nicely with a variety of sauces.
Fettuccine
Shape: Long, flat shape
Pronunciation: feht-tuh-CHEE-nee
Italian for: “Little ribbons”
Recommended sauce pairings: meat, cream, cheese, seafood, vegetable, or oil based
Because of its shape, Fettuccine pairs nicely with full-bodied sauces.
Gemelli
Shape: S-shaped strand twisted into a spiral
Pronunciation: JE-mele
Italian for: “Twins” or “unicorn horns”
Recommended sauce pairings: just about any type of sauce
This spiral-shaped pasta appears to be two thin tubes twisted around each other, but is actually an S-shaped strand twisted into a spiral. Its twists and spirals give it a refined look while staying al dente.
Lasagna
Shape: Broad, flat, rectangle
Pronunciation: luh-ZAHN-yuh
Italian for: “Cooking pot”
Recommended sauce pairings: meat, cream, and vegetable based sauces
Put a creative culinary spin on your next meal. This shape is popularly used in recipes that require baking. Fillings might include: meat, ricotta, seafood, chicken, or spinach.
Mafalda
Shape: Flat, ribbon-like
Pronunciation: ma-FAL-da
Italian for: “Little queens”
Recommended sauce pairings: delicate butter- or oil-based sauces
Narrower than lasagna but with similar rippled edges on both sides, the flat surfaces of mafalda match well with sauces used on linguini and fettuccine, and lend a new sophistication to a favorite recipe.
Penne
Shape: Hollow tubes. Ends are cut at a diagonal so they are pointed.
Pronunciation: PEN-nay
Italian for: “Quills” or feather”
Recommended sauce pairings: chunky meat, chunky vegetable, cream, or oil based
Penne compliments virtually every sauce and is exceptional when paired with a chunky sauce. Penne is ridged and ideal to lock-in flavor. This shape is great for baking dishes, too.
Rotini
Shape: Short, tight, spiral pasta
Pronunciation: roh-TEE-nee
Italian for: “Twist”
Recommended sauce pairings: meat, cream, vegetable, and oil based
Originating in Northern Italy, this shape pairs nicely with sauces full of flavor. The tight spiral locks-in the flavor allowing the shape to pair with both simple and sophisticated sauces. Children enjoy this fun shape. Also, these shapes are great when used in pasta salads.
Shells
Shape: Variety of sizes, shape of a sea shell
Recommended sauce pairings: meat, cream, vegetable, and oil based
Put a creative culinary spin on your next meal by adding shells to a variety of dishes. Fill large shells with meat, cheese, seafood, chicken, or vegetables. Large Shells are good for baking dishes. Toss mid-sized Shells with chunky sauces. Add Small Shells to soups, pasta salads, or casseroles.
Spaghetti
Shape: Long, thin, round shape
Pronunciation: spuh-GEHT-ee
Italian for: “Little strings”
Recommended sauce pairings: meat, seafood, vegetable, or oil base.
Spaghetti, a staple of traditional Italian cuisine, is one of the most versatile and popular shapes. Spaghetti shapes compliment a variety of sauces.
Trottole
Shape: Resembles a child’s spinning top
Pronunciation:
Italian for: “Spins”
Recommended sauce pairings: Thick sauces or vegetable soups and stews
Originally rolled by hand around an umbrella stick, this curly rolled pasta was often left to dry in the warm Italian sun.