The Best Pasta Shape for Every Pasta Sauce, According to an Expert

There are seemingly countless variations of pasta, from long and ribbony pappardelle and tagliatelle to filled ravioli and tortellini to ear-shaped orecchiette and tiny stelline. Some pastas go well with thin, strand-coating sauces; others pair well with chunky ingredients; and still others are best for soups or baked dishes. But how do you know which pasta will work best in the dish you’re making? We talked to a pasta expert to find out.

“Any pasta shape goes reasonably well with any pasta sauce,” says Meryl Feinstein, chef and author of the James Beard Award-winning cookbook Pasta Every Day: Make It, Shape It, Sauce It, Eat It. And while traditional dishes are classics for a reason, she explains that these recipes often arose out of which ingredients were available locally at the time, as well as some practical know-how. “So if you have the ingredients for meat sauce, but you don’t have any of the shapes that you typically put with it, just use what you’ve got. Don’t overthink it.” But there are definitely some shapes that work better than others if you do have the ability to choose. To help narrow down which pasta to select for your next dish, Feinstein shares her best tips for pairing pasta shapes and sauces.  

Long Pastas

When we think of “traditional” pasta shapes in the U.S., long, twirlable noodles like spaghetti or bucatini are usually what come to mind. And while we’re just as likely to pair them with a meaty ragu or creamy Alfredo, these pastas actually pair best with lighter sauces, like an aglio e olio or pesto, Feinstein says. “Delicate pastas pair well with delicate sauces,” she explains, adding that the thin form allows it to balance well with the sauce. “More delicate cream sauces, like white wine cream sauces, things like fettuccine Alfredo, those sort of thinner, ribbony pastas also work well,” she adds. She also points to more traditional Italian pasta shapes, like trenette and trofie, as great options for pesto. 

When it comes to saucy ragus or a Bolognese, pappardelle and tagliatelle are traditionally served. These wide, ribbony pastas are large enough to catch the small bits of meat that have been slow-cooked in the sauce, while still having a silky mouthfeel. “There’s something so glamorous about a meat sauce you’ve spent hours cooking. And there’s also something super luxurious about a wide ribbon noodle that suits the ethos well,” says Feinstein.  

Short Pastas

Unlike long pastas, short pastas are too small to be twirled with a fork and work best in sauces with more texture. So if the dish you’re preparing is packed with bite-size chunks of meat or vegetables, a short pasta, such as rigatoni, penne, orecchiette, farfalle or cavatappi, will have enough bite to balance out those heartier elements. These are typically the best pastas for a pasta salad, too, Feinstein explains. “Pasta salads, especially in Italy, and obviously here, too, are usually made to be transported or eaten outside,” she says. Short pastas will not only retain their texture for longer than long pastas but also can be eaten more easily—there’s no need to twirl the noodles.

Short pastas are also common in many Italian American dishes, such as a punchy vodka sauce or a thick Alfredo made with cream, as their tubular shapes allow them to catch the sauce on both the inside and the outside. That’s also true of elbows and shells in macaroni and cheese. 

Pastina 

Despite what some boxed pastas have on their label, pastina isn’t a single shape of pasta. It’s a term for the smallest cuts of pasta that come in tiny shapes, like orzo, ditalini and stelline (or little stars). While orzo can be treated like rice pilaf and served with vegetables and herbs, it’s also common for it and other small pasta varieties to find their way into brothy soups. “When you’re thinking about soups, you want to find pastas that fit on a spoon,” Feinstein explains. Small filled pastas, like tortellini, are also common in broths and soups.  

Filled Pastas 

When preparing filled pastas, it’s best to consider what is in the filling and how it will go with the other elements of the dish. For example, Feinstein often finds herself reaching for ravioli with simple cheese or meat fillings to pair with tomato sauces, as the fattiness from the cheese or meat helps cut through the acidity of the sauce. More complex fillings, like mushroom, butternut squash or pumpkin, though, are best when they’re left in the spotlight. “If you’re experimenting in the filling department or you’re using bolder flavors, I tend to reach for the butter sauces just because they’re glossy and delicious, but they take a back seat to the filling itself,” she says. A brown butter and sage sauce, for example, will allow the fillings to shine.  

Baked Pastas 

Tubular pastas, such as ziti, and thick lasagna sheets are the most commonly used pastas in baked dishes because these can stand up to being cooked twice (boiled then baked) without compromising their texture. Dishes like lasagna and baked ziti are even able to be frozen and reheated, thanks to their chewy pasta bases. Potato gnocchi, rather than more delicate ricotta varieties, can also be used in baked dishes, too.  

The Bottom Line

When choosing a pasta shape, be sure to consider what you are pairing the pasta with and what sort of dish you are making. Long, thin pastas, such as spaghetti and angel hair, take well to delicate sauces, while long, ribbony pastas, like tagliatelle and pappardelle, take well to meat sauces that cling to them. Short pastas work better with chunky sauces and ingredients. Small pastas in the pastina category are lovely in soups. When cooking and pairing filled pastas, take into account the flavor of the filling and how it will complement the sauce. And lastly, when making a baked pasta dish, be sure to use a sturdier pasta, such as ziti or lasagna noodles. But, if you find yourself making sauce and you don’t have the right pasta shape on hand, it’s OK to go rogue and use what you’ve got. As Feinstein said, “Don’t overthink it.”