Easy Guide for Choosing Pasta Types

Ever wonder why pastas are all shaped and sized differently?

• Thin pastas: Great with light sauces.
• Tube-shaped and twisted pastas: Perfect for holding thicker sauces.
• Small pasta pieces: They cook quickly in soup.

Here's an easy guide for pairing sauces and pastas:

• Spaghetti. Tomato, meat, seafood and oil-based sauces
• Macaroni (elbow macaroni). Cheese sauces
• Bow Tie (farfalle). Butter, cheese and tomato sauces
• Angel Hair (capellini). Oil-based sauces
• Spiral (fusilli or spirali). Cheese and meat sauces
• Lasagna (lasagne). Baked pastas
• Large tubes (manicotti). Baked pastas
• Rice-sized (orzo). Soups
• Small tubes (penne). Cream, pesto, meat, tomato and vegetable sauces and baked pastas.
  Flat ribbons (fettuccine). Meat, pesto and seafood sauces