The first mention of pasta dates back to the 13th Century. Today, it is one of the most popular foods in the world. There are many types of pasta to choose from. It is versatile, convenient, and satisfying.
You know that feeling when you’re standing in the middle aisle of the supermarket, surrounded by so many choices? They’re all the exact same, right? While there are 350 different styles, each one is best suited for a specific type of Italian cuisine.
1. Spaghetti
Spaghetti is one of the most common pastas in the world. It consists of thin, long noodles that can be served with many different sauces. Spaghetti Bolognese is perhaps the best-known dish, which combines pasta with meat and marinara. This pasta is perfect for any meat or vegetable dish, including garlic and olive oils.
2. Penne
Penne is another popular shape. It has a tube-like structure with diagonal cuts on either end. Penne Arrabbiata is a great example of a dish that uses this pasta. It penetrates and holds sauce very well. It is the perfect pasta for pasta bakes.
3. Lasagne
Contrary to popular opinion, lasagne refers to the thin pasta sheets that are used in a dish and not the dish itself. Lasagne is commonly used to make oven-baked dishes. The most popular dish, lasagne all forno, consists of layers of lasagne, bechamel sauce and cheese, with a beef or porc ragu between them. You can use any filling, like mushrooms in place of meat.
4. Ravioli
Ravioli is a pillow-shaped dough square that can be used for anything. Ravioli can be filled up with cheese, meat, seafood or vegetables and served with sauce or drizzled with oil.
5. Linguine
Linguine is similar to spaghetti but is flatter. It is also considered more luxurious. Its extra surface area makes it ideal for lighter textures like seafood or cream-based sauces.
6. Rigatoni
Like penne, they have small ridges around the edges, but are cut in a square, not diagonally. They are a large shape and go well with sauces that have lots of vegetables. Or they can be baked into a gratin.
7. Farfalle
This pasta, also known as ‘bow tie’ pasta in Italian and translated to ‘butterfly,’ is exactly that shape. The pasta is small, but has a lot of surface area. This makes it perfect for a rich tomato or cheese sauce, as the wings hold the sauce in place. This pasta is also great with cold pasta salads and sometimes served with grilled poultry.
8. Fusilli
The spiralled shape of this pasta is perfect for pairing with meat sauces and chunky vegetables. The chunks are caught in the crevices, giving the dish an interesting texture. For the same reason, they can be baked in casseroles or pasta dishes.
9. Macaroni
Macaroni is a simple shape consisting of short pasta tubes that are often curved. They are often found in a cheese or minestrone sauce floating on top, ready to go into the oven to make a classic Mac ‘n Cheese.
10. Cannelloni
This pasta is available in two forms: flat or pre-rolled tubes that are stuffed with various ingredients, including spinach and ricotta. This large pasta pairs well with simple sauces like tomato.
