10 Common Pasta Shapes You Should Know

Pasta is astaple food of traditionalItalian cuisine. Also commonly used to refer to the variety ofdishesmade with it,pastais a type ofnoodletypically made from anunleaveneddoughof adurum wheatflourmixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or various shapes, then cooked byboilingorbaking.

Some pastas are made usingrice flourorlegumeslikeblack beansorlentilsin place of wheat flour to yield a different taste and texture, or for those who need to avoid products containinggluten.

Talking about the pasta shapes, here is a list of 10 most common shapes that you should definitely know.

1. Macaroni

Macaroni is dry pasta shaped like narrow tubes. Made with durum wheat, macaroni is commonly cut in short lengths; curved macaroni may be referred to as elbow macaroni.

2. Penne

Penne is an extruded type of pasta with cylinder-shaped pieces, their ends cut at a bias.

3. Lasagne

Lasagne are a type of wide, flat pasta, possibly one of the oldest types of pasta. Lasagne, or the singular lasagna, commonly refers to a culinary dish made with stacked layers of pasta alternated with sauces and ingredients such as meats, vegetables and cheese, and sometimes topped with melted grated cheese.

4. Spaghetti

Spaghetti is a long, thin, solid, cylindrical pasta. Spaghettoni is a thicker form of spaghetti, while Capellini is a very thin spaghetti.

5. Fusilli

Fusilli are a variety of pasta that are formed into corkscrew or helical shapes. The word fusilli presumably comes from fuso, as traditionally it is "spun" by pressing and rolling a small rod over the thin strips of pasta to wind them around it in a corkscrew shape.

6. Linguine

Linguine is a type of pasta similar to fettuccine and trenette but elliptical in section rather than flat. It is about 4 millimetres in width, which is wider than spaghetti but not as wide as fettuccine. The name linguine means "little tongues" in Italian, where it is a plural of the feminine linguina.

7. Ravioli

Ravioli are a type of dumpling comprising a filling enveloped in thin pasta dough. Usually served in broth or with a sauce, they originated as a traditional food in Italian cuisine. Ravioli are commonly square, though other forms are also used, including circular and semi-circular.

8. Tagliatelle

Tagliatelle and tagliolini are a traditional type of pasta from the Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions of Italy. Individual pieces of Tagliatelle are long, flat ribbons that are similar in shape to Fettuccine and are typically about 6.5 to 10 mm wide.

9. Cannelloni

Cannelloni are a cylindrical type of lasagna generally served baked with a filling and covered by a sauce in Italian cuisine. Popular stuffings include spinach and ricotta or minced beef.

10. Farfalle

Farfalle are a type of pasta/noodle commonly known as bow-tie pasta or butterfly pasta. The name is derived from the Italian word Farfalle.

Whatever the shape be, pasta is pasta, and we love pasta! So try out new shapes, and experiment on your own.