Matching pasta with sauce.

1. Guide to Matching
Pasta with Sauce
Even though they’re all made with flour and
water, not all pasta is created equal. Different
types of pastas work better with different types
of sauces or in different types of dishes, based on
their shape and size. For example, tube-shaped
pastas hold thinner sauces like basic tomato
sauce, while flat pastas provide more surface area
for a thick sauce to cling to, like Alfredo. Tiny
pastas like pastina work best in soups, while
shell-shaped pastas work best in casseroles.
Knowing which types of pastas are best for
various sauces and dishes is important, because
the size and shape of the pasta you use can
affect a dish’s taste and presentation. Keep the
following guide handy when you prepare your
next pasta dish so you can be sure you use the
right size and shape of pasta.
SHAPE
LONG AND SKINNY
• Spaghetti
• Angel Hair
• Vermicelli
• Fettuccine
• Linguine
• Pappardelle
• Tagliatelle
Tomato
Tomato
Tomato
Tomato
Seafood
Seafood
Vegetable
Vegetable
Vegetable
Meat
Meat
Meat
Cream
Cream
Cream
Oil/Butter
Oil/Butter
• Lasagna
• Sfoglia
• Bucatini
• Perciatelli
• Fusilli bucati
• Macaroni
• Penne
• Ziti
• Rigatoni
• Rotini
• Farfalle
• Rotelle
• Campanelle
• Orzo
• Acini di pepe
• Anelli
• Pastina
• Stelline
• Tubettini
• Ravioli
• Tortellini
• Cavatelli
• Conchiglie
• Jumbo shells
• Lumaconi
• Manicotti
SAUCES DISHES
LONG AND FLAT,
RIBBONS
SHORT TUBES
FLAT AND WIDE
SMALL SHAPES
LONG TUBES
TINY SHAPES
FILLED PASTA
SHELLS
Tomato
Seafood
Cheese Basil
Meat
Cream
Seafood
Vegetable
Meat
Cream
Oil/Butter
Oil/Butter
Oil/Butter
Tomato
Tomato
Tomato
Seafood Vegetable
Meat
Baked, served with sauce
Baked, stuffed
Baked, salads, soups,
served with sauce
Soups, salads, baked
Served with sauce
Served with sauce
Baked, served with sauce
Soups, salads,
served with sauce
Baked, stuffed
Cream
FRESH OR DRIED?
Fresh pasta is becoming a more common sight in the average grocery store’s refrigerated
section or deli. Although the tendency is to assume that fresh pasta is always preferable
to the dried kind that comes in a box, each type has its strengths and weaknesses.
Fresh pasta, for example, contains eggs and more water than dried pasta, which makes
it a natural fit for cream-based sauces and lighter vegetable-based sauces. Stuffed
pasta dishes also benefit from fresh pasta because of its greater elasticity. Dried pasta,
on the other hand, has a firmer texture when cooked, which means it stands up better
to heartier sauces like thick tomato and meat sauces.
Even though it’s all made with practically the same ingredients, pasta’s diverse
shapes and sizes make it one of the most versatile staples in any diet. Knowing and
understanding which type of pasta works best for the dish you want to make will go
a long way toward making it a success.
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GNOCCHI
Tomato
Seafood
Vegetable
Meat
Cream
Oil/Butter
Served with sauce