A Visual Guide to Different Types of Pasta

Pasta comes in all shapes and sizes. You have thick pasta, thin pasta; pasta that’s long, pasta that’s round and even pasta that looks like a bow. But no matter what type of pasta you’re having, one thing is guaranteed: They are all delicious. 

If you love pasta so much that you constantly daydream about an escape to Italy just to stuff your face, this handy visual guide will help you learn about different pasta types and how to cook each one.

No, we can’t include every type of pasta, since there are approximately 350, but we can start with 10 of the best.

The tried-and-true pasta that every single person loves. You simply can’t go wrong with this thin and long noodle type that goes well with basically everything.

Spaghetti bolognese is a classic dish, but you can serve this pasta with basically any sauce and any type of meat or vegetable. If you’re feeling minimalistic, a simple dish with butter, olive oil or soy sauce still hits the spot.

The untrained eye often confuses fettuccine with spaghetti. Both are long types of pasta that are commonly used in homes around the world. But fettuccine is thicker than spaghetti. And in Italy, that makes all of the difference. 

Serve this pasta with creamy sauces (fettuccine Alfredo, anyone?). It goes well with any kind of meat and vegetable, but avoid oversimplicity — olive oil or butter are simply not thick enough to make a good fettuccine meal.

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Lasagna is mainly known for its eponymous dish that is, let’s be honest, one of the greatest foods ever invented. 

Consisting of thin square sheets, they are laid on a baking dish and layered with ragu, then topped with cheese. You really can’t improve on lasagna, but creative people have come up with ways to use the pasta for dishes like lasagna soup, stuffed roll-ups and even nachos. We love the creativity, but we’ll stick to the classic dish.

Shaped like a thick tube, penne is a popular alternative for whenever people want something different than spaghetti’s long strands. Serve this with a dish that has sauce so good you don’t want to miss even a little bit, as with penne alla vodka. You’ll want it to be thick so it goes into the tubes and fills every bite with flavor.

Chunky veggies or meats are highly recommended.