All Shapes and Sizes | Catersource

Pasta comes in all shapes and sizes.

“There are so many different shapes and sizes, and they all have a very important use,” says Chef Robert “BJ” Beisler. (Santé and the Farmer’s Dinner). “Each one serves its purpose and there’s a time and place for everything.”

Here’s a look:

Long/Ribbon Cut

Long, ribbon-cut pastas are often lumped into the “spaghetti” category, but there are actually many variations.

Spaghetti: The standard (and most popular) long noodle with a medium density.
Capellini: With ultra-thin strands that measure between 0.85 and 0.92 millimeters, this pasta is delicate and falls apart if overcooked. It’s often labeled as “angel hair” pasta.
Linguine: Strands of pasta with rounded edges that are wider than spaghetti.
Tagliatelle: Often made of egg-enriched dough, this medium-wide and toothsome noodle can stand up to meaty sauces.
Fettuccine: Flat, thick pasta with a name meaning “little ribbons” in Italian.
Pappardelle: Large, broad, flat pasta wider than fettuccine. Often made with egg added to the dough.
Bucatini: Rounded strands that look like spaghetti; however, unlike spaghetti, bucatini has a long hole running through its center. May also be called perciatelli.
Lasagna: Sheets of pasta rolled out to medium thickness. Usually layered with sauce, cheese, veggies, and/or meats, while baked into a classic Italian American casserole (or simmered in soup).

Short

Smaller pasta shapes, interchangeably called “macaroni,” fall within the one- to two-inch range. They’re best served with thick, chunky sauces or baked into creamy casseroles. Their sturdy shapes also hold up well in pasta salads, though the smallest of the small are best in soups.

Farfalle: Bowtie-shaped pieces named after the Italian word for “butterfly,” farfalla.
Orecchiette: Concave, somewhat flattened little shells. Originated in Southern Italy with a name meaning “small ear.”
Rotini: Tight corkscrews that are especially good at holding onto thick sauces. You may also see them labeled as “fusilli.”
Orzo: Small pasta shaped like grains of rice. These are often added to garden salads, pasta salads, and soups.
Ditalini: Small tube-like shapes, commonly used in pasta e fagioli. The name means “small thimbles” in Italian
Stelline: Tiny, star-shaped pasta that cook in just five minutes. These are best used in soups, as they tend to get lost in saucy or meat-based dishes.
Creste di gallo: This rooster’s comb shaped pasta is one of the top ingredients for 2024 according to Datassential.

Tube-Shaped

Tube-shaped pastas are also called “extruded pasta,” as they are made by forcing dough through a die to form various shapes. In artisan pasta-making traditions, bronze dies are used to create a coarser texture.

Penne: Cylinder-shaped pieces that come to a small point on both ends. The name is derived from the Italian word penna, which means “pen.”
Rigatoni: Slightly curved, tubed-shaped pastas, usually larger than penne. The name is derived from the Italian word rigato, which means “ridged” or “lined.”
Macaroni: Technically, “macaroni” is a general word to categorize small and medium dried-pasta shapes. In America, it has become somewhat synonymous with elbow macaroni, the small, curved tubes traditionally used in mac and cheese and pasta salads.
Cannelloni: Smooth tubes, most often covered in sauce and baked after stuffing.
Manicotti: Large tubes like cannelloni but with ridges. This shape originated in Italian American cuisine and is also baked after stuffing.
Ziti: Hollow, straw-shaped pasta that is smaller and narrower than rigatoni and frequently baked into saucy, cheesy casseroles.

Stuffed

Some pastas are shaped specifically to hold other ingredients like cheese, meat, and vegetables. These types of pastas are best served in butter, cream, or tomato sauces to allow the flavorful filling to shine.

Ravioli: Two flat sheets of pasta that form a dumpling-like structure for filling (most commonly cheese).
Tortellini: Little rings filled with cheese, meat, or other ingredients. Tortelloni is like tortellini but is about two times larger.
Cappelletti: Small, filled pasta, folded diagonally so they resemble the shape of a hat.
Agnolotti: Small, crimped pillows, with fillings similar to ravioli.
Fagottini: Little bundles of pasta, usually filled with vegetables like carrots, onions, and greens beans, as well as ricotta cheese.
Mezzelune: Crimped semicircles stuffed with cheese and sometimes veggies or meat.

Dumplings

Dumplings are small wavy pasta cuts that are best in soup, entrées, side dishes, or oven-bakes. Dumplings are great with cream or cheese sauces, gravy, light tomato sauce, or simple butter (or olive oil) tosses.

Gnocchi: These Italian dumplings are shaped from a mixture of egg, potato, and all-purpose flour; they are served with butter, cheese, or other sauces.
Halušky: A traditional variety of cooked dumplings in Central and Eastern Europe, they are made with a batter of flour and egg or potatoes (such as bryndzové halušky, which are from Slovakia).
Kartoffelknödel: Knödel is the German word for boiled dumplings, and kartoffelknödel is a version made with potatoes and/or semolina flour to accompany meat dishes. You can also try semmelknödel, made with bread and eggs, and the Jewish matzah balls made from matzo meal.
Shlishkes: Small boiled potato dumplings made from potato dough and rolled in bread crumbs; they are popular in Hungary.

Couscous

Despite popular belief that couscous is a type of whole grain (it has a rice-like appearance), it is a pasta made of semolina and wheat flour that is moistened and tossed together until it forms little balls. Since couscous is a popular food in many cultures, there are many varieties.

Moroccan couscous is the smallest couscous, with each grain only a little larger than semolina. Because of its small size, it cooks in just a few minutes.
Israeli couscous, also called pearl couscous, is much larger than Moroccan couscous and closely resembles little orbs of pasta. It has more of a nutty flavor and a chewier texture than smaller varieties and takes about 10 minutes to cook.
Lebanese couscous, which is also known as moghrabieh couscous, is the largest of the three types and takes the longest to cook.

Noodles

The best way to think about noodles in general is by separating them into three main categories based on what the noodles are made of: wheat noodles, rice noodles, and noodles made from other starches.

Chow mein: Possibly the most well-known Chinese noodle, chow mein means “pan-fried noodle.” They are sold dried and parboiled, ready for stir-fry.
Lo mein: Lo mein, which means “mixed or tossed noodle” in Cantonese, is a soft yellow noodle in refrigerated, fresh, or dried forms. The thick round noodles are soft and dense when cooked. They are usually about a foot long and look like fat spaghetti noodles, but they are chewier and yellow from the alkaline (not egg) added to the noodle.
Udon: Popular in Japanese cuisine, udon noodles come in a variety of sizes but are known for their thickness and chewy bite. They’re sold dried, fresh, or frozen.
Soba: Popular in Japanese cuisine, soba noodles are known for their extra protein and earthy flavor. They are usually greyish brown in color and traditionally made from buckwheat or a buckwheat and wheat flour blend. They are earthy and nutty and sold in packaged bundles.

Information above courtesy the Pasta Glossary