20 Different Pasta Shapes and How to Use Them in Cooking

This stuffed pasta is often filled with cheese or meat. It's sturdy and versatile enough to be used in multiple ways—from soups and sauces to pasta salads.

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There are so many variations on ravioli—it can be square or round, and it can be stuffed with cheese, meat, or even veggies. In the fall, pumpkin ravioli is warm and cozy, while the springtime is great for pesto ravioli.

This flat, thick pasta is probably best known as the lead player in fettuccine Alfredo, a favorite dish with a creamy sauce of butter, cream, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. Fettuccine noodles are robust and can easily stand up to other creamy, hearty sauces.

These soft, flat ribbons are similar to fettuccine, and even wider. They're fun to cook, because they often come packaged as nests that unfurl when they hit the boiling water. They hold up to thicker sauces like Bolognese.

You can use this elbow-shaped pasta for macaroni salad and, of course, macaroni and cheese. But it's also a fun choice for homemade versions of hamburger helper!

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This classic pasta gets its name from the Latin word for "quill" or "pen." The tube shape and ridges make it perfect for hearty sauces or baked pasta dishes.

This short, spiral pasta means "corkscrew" in Italian. Its twisty shape and ridges make it ideal for a chunky meat sauce, but it’s also a fun alternative in macaroni and cheese.

These ridged pasta cylinders are great to have on hand in your pantry: They're super versatile and should be thought of as a go-to option when you're not sure what shape to use. They're a great alternative to penne.

The Italian word farfalle means butterfly, but this pasta is more often referred to as bowtie pasta, and it's easy to see why! The size and shape holds up well when tossed with other ingredients, so it’s great for pasta salads.

You'll find this small, doughy pasta shell in dishes across Southern Italy. It's often made by hand and can be found anywhere you get fresh pasta.

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The short, corkscrew shape of fusilli or rotini is a popular choice for many kinds of pasta dishes. It's great for holding onto all the flavor in your favorite pesto pasta salad.

The name means "little ears," and that's just what this pasta looks like: small, round discs with a concave indentation. (Some fans think they look like little hats too.) The shape is perfect for scooping up small bits of meat and vegetables, like ground sausage or broccoli.

This small, squat pasta is relatively modern compared with Italy's much older, traditional shapes. It was created in the 20th century based on the shape of a radiator! Its ruffles of layers are the perfect match for a hearty marinara.

This fluted pasta, also called campanelle, is shaped like a cone or a flower and looks beautiful in a pasta salad or with a veggie primavera. Just note that you'll want to keep a close eye on the time: When these are cooked for too long, they can expand and unravel.

This shell-shaped pasta comes in a variety of sizes. The smaller size works well in mac and cheese recipes, while the jumbo shells can be stuffed with ricotta and baked.

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These short, thin twists originated in the northern region of Italy known for pesto Genovese. Try serving it with pesto and peas.

Ditalini translates to "little thimbles," and the short tubes are a fun addition to soups and stews. Or you can add a cream sauce and serve them as a side dish, like you would with orzo.

This tiny pasta almost looks like a large grain of rice, and you can treat it like that: It's great in a pasta salad, or served as a side dish. Try stirring in some mascarpone and grated lemon zest as a simple side sometime.

Capellini are very thin, long strands of pasta. The delicate noodles won’t hold up to chunky sauces, so try them with a light cream sauce or toss them with garlic and olive oil and serve alongside shrimp scampi.

These are thick, spaghetti-like noodles with a hollow center that allow sauce to get trapped inside (in the best way). This type of pasta is popular in many traditional Roman dishes and is most commonly paired with a classic Amatriciana sauce, a tomato sauce with guanciale (a type of cured pork).

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