Grocery store shelves and restaurant menus are filled with different pasta names and shapes, but there are a few basics—and a few unique kinds of pasta—that everyone should know, especially if eating pasta is a regular habit. (Once you know your preferred noodle, picking the best pasta brands is easy too.) Here, we list more than 20 different shapes of pasta, with pictures, a handy chart, cooking times, and best uses and sauce pairings, so you can find your perfect pasta and pair it with a dish that makes it shine. (Or, if you have a favorite pasta sauce, you can find the perfect noodle to serve it with.) Whether you’re just learning how to cook pasta or you make homemade noodles, there’s something to learn from our guide to tasty, irresistible pasta noodles.
Types of Pasta Noodles
Cooking time: 3 to 5 minutes.Best for: Tossing with sauce.Ideal sauces: Light tomato, olive oil, cream, butter, seafood. Cooking time: 6 to 8 minutes.Best for: Baked dishes, salads, soups.Ideal sauces: Cheese, butter. Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutes.Best for: Tossing with sauce, salads.Ideal sauces: Cheese, olive oil, butter. Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutes.Best for: Tossing with sauce.Ideal sauces: Meat, cream, cheese. Cooking time: 8 to 10 minutes.Best for: Baked dishes, salads.Ideal sauces: Tomato, pesto, seafood. Cooking time: 11 to 13 minutes.Best for: Stuffing, baked dishes.Ideal sauces: Tomato, cream. Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutes.Best for: Tossing with sauce.Ideal sauces: Tomato, pesto, olive oil, seafood. Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutes.Best for: Tossing with sauce.Ideal sauces: Meat, cream, seafood. Cooking time: 9 to 11 minutes.Best for: Salads, soups.Ideal sauces: Light tomato, olive oil, vinaigrette. Cooking time: 7 to 10 minutes.Best for: Tossing with sauce.Ideal sauces: Tomato, meat, vegetable. Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutes.Best for: Tossing with sauce.Ideal sauces: Chunky tomato, meat, vegetable, cream. Cooking time: 11 to 13 minutes.Best for: Tossing with sauce, baked dishes.Ideal sauces: Chunky meat or vegetable, cream, cheese. Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutes.Best for: Baked dishes, salads.Ideal sauces: Tomato, meat, vegetable, cream, cheese, vinaigrette. Cooking time: 9 to 11 minutes.Best for: Tossing with sauce.Ideal sauces: Tomato, pesto, meat, seafood. Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutes.Best for: Baked dishes.Ideal sauces: Light tomato, olive oil, cream, cheese. Cooking time: 8 to 10 minutes.Best for: Soups, like minestrone, because it cooks quickly.Ideal sauces: Tomato-based soups. Cooking time: 12 to 13 minutes.Best for: Oil-based sauces that can drizzle down the strands.Ideal sauces: Light tomato sauces, dairy-based sauces, or oil-based sauces. Cooking time: 7 to 10 minutes.Best for: Rich, heavier sauces or seafood. It is also commonly stuffed with ricotta cheese or other ingredients and baked.Ideal sauces: Tomato and oil-based sauces, which coat the sides in a slick layer. Cooking time: 10 to 11 minutes.Best for: Heavy, creamy sauces. The thick ruffles stand up to a heavier topping.Ideal sauces: Dairy-based sauces such as béchamel, vegetable sauces with chunky vegetables, meat sauces, fish-based sauces, or hearty tomato-based sauces. Cooking time: 11 to 14 minutes.Best for: Hearty sauces filled with vegetables. The pasta’s hollow parts scoop them up. They can also be stuffed and served as finger foods.Ideal sauces: If stuffed, they can be served on their own. If not, try robust meat, vegetable, or tomato sauces. Cooking time: 9 to 12 minutes.Best for: Tossing with wilted greens or bacon. The shapes complement each other.Ideal sauces: Light, simple sauces, seafood sauces, or meat sauces.
