There are seemingly endless pasta shapes, each with a delicious purpose. Long pasta, short pasta, pasta that can be stuffed, pasta for soups- the uses for pasta are endless! There are some shapes and sizes that are better suited for holding sauces in their ridges, while others are better for baked dishes. Use our popular Pasta Shapes Dictionary to learn more about the best uses for each pasta shape.
Pasta Shapes
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Acini di pepe – an extremely small, round pasta shape – translates to peppercorn, or seeds of pepper. -
Alphabet pasta is traditional pasta that has been cut into letters of the alphabet. It includes letters from A to Z, sometimes adding numbers... -
Anelli pasta are thin dry ring shaped pasta often used by Italians in soups, salads and oven baked pasta dishes. -
Angel hair pasta is a long, thin noodle with a round shape. Although it resembles spaghetti, another long and thin pasta, angel hair is... -
This straw-like pasta is shaped like thick Spaghetti but is hollow in the center. -
Does this pasta’s name sound familiar? This tube shaped pasta resembles calamari rings, which is why it tends to be used in seafood dishes.... -
Campanelle pasta resembles a small cone with a ruffled edge. It is also known as Gigli pasta and looks like a bell. -
Casarecce pasta is shaped like a narrow, twisted and rolled tube. -
Cavatappi is macaroni formed in a helical tube shape. Cavatappi is the Italian word for corkscrew. -
Cavatelli resembles a tiny hot dog bun. -
Commonly known as "shells" or "seashells." These are usually sold in the plain durum wheat variety, and also in colored varieties. -
Commonly known as "shells" or "seashells." These are usually sold in the plain durum wheat variety, and also in colored varieties. -
Commonly known as "shells" or "seashells." These are usually sold in the plain durum wheat variety, and also in colored varieties. -
Commonly known as "shells" or "seashells." These are usually sold in the plain durum wheat variety, and also in colored varieties. -
Corbata is the smallest version of farfalle, following farfalline. The tiniest bow-tie of them all, corbata has a baby butterfly shape that makes it... -
Ditalini, is a very small type of pasta that is shaped like tubes, which is the English translation of its name. -
In German, the word “nudel” means pasta with egg. These noodles have a larger amount of egg as an ingredient along with the... -
Elbow macaroni has a short, curved shape. -
Farfalle is a type of short pasta typically known as bow tie pasta because of its unique shape. -
Farfalline is a small, rounded version of the traditional bow tie or butterfly shaped pasta known as farfalle. -
It is a long, flat pasta on the thicker side. -
Short and thin strands of pasta that are slightly curved. -
A short pasta shape with a twisted, spiralized form. -
Gemelli is a short, twisted pasta shape. The word gemelli means twins, and the shape has also been described as unicorn horns. -
Gigli is a delicate piece of pasta that has been rolled into a cone or flower. -
Gnocchi are thick, small, oval-like shapes of dough typically made of potatoes, eggs, cheese and flour. The dough for gnocchi is rolled out into... -
They are a wide, flat sheets of pasta sheets. -
The word means “little tongues” and the pasta shape is similar to fettuccine, though is much narrower. -
Typically known as mafaldine, this is a type of pasta has a ribbon shape, similar to lasagna but more narrow. -
They are very large tube-shaped pasta, usually ridged, that usually stuffed and baked. -
Mezze luna is a stuffed, half-moon shaped pasta with sealed, curved edges, very similar to a ravioli. Mezza luna can have any kind of... -
These are small pasta shapes that are shaped like a small ear, which is where their name comes from. -
It is a form of short-cut pasta, shaped like a large grain of rice. -
Pappardelle is a flat, long ribbon shaped pasta. It is wider than tagliatelle but not quite as wide as lasagna. The name pappardelle comes... -
Pastina is one of the smallest pasta shapes available and is the pasta that many Italian children, and children from all over the world,... -
Penne is one of the most famous Italian pasta shapes and is loved across Italy and the world. Penne translates to the word “pen”,... -
Penne mostaccioli or “small mustaches” has the exact same shape as penne pasta, however it does not have a ridged surface. Like penne, it... -
Penne Rigate are ridged and ideal to lock-in flavor. -
Pipe rigate is a hollow curved pasta that looks similar to a snail shell. It has a wide opening at one end and the... -
This shape is a smaller version of Pipe Rigate. -
Radiatori are short, squat pasta shapes with ruffled edges that resemble radiators. Many believe the shape was based on the design of a radiator... -
Raviolis are square or round pillow shaped stuffed pastas, similar to dumplings. They have a filling that can consist of cheese, meat, and/or vegetables.... -
Rigatoni are a form of tube-shaped pasta of varying lengths and diameters. -
Rotelle is a wheel shaped pasta that is also very similar to ruote pasta. It is used to add a decorative touch to soups,... -
Rotini are short, corkscrew-like shaped pasta. The name translates from Italian to “small wheels” and the shape originated in Southern Italy. It is a... -
Ruote pasta is shaped to resemble wagon wheels. -
Spaghetti (“a length of cord”) may just be the best known pasta shape. A long, thin piece of pasta, spaghetti has a lot of... -
Tagliatelle is a long, ribbon shaped pasta that is similar to fettuccine. The pasta is largely known for its romantic origins. Even though the... -
Thin spaghetti is virtually the same as spaghetti, just thinner. It is very similar to vermicelli. It can be used in place of spaghetti... -
Tortellini is a ring shaped stuffed pasta that is typically filled with meat, cheese or vegetables. Tortelloni is a larger version of Tortellini. It... -
Tripoline pasta is a long pasta ribbon with ruffles on one side. It is very similar to mafalda - the main difference being ruffles... -
Trofie is a short, thin twisted pasta shape, about an inch in length. This shape is thick in the middle and has pointed ends.... -
Tubini is a medium size, narrow tube shaped pasta. It is not as wide as some other tube pastas like rigatoni and tortiglioni. Because... -
It is a traditional type of pasta that is slightly thinner than Spaghetti. -
It has a medium-sized, tubular shape. It’s a type of penne pasta in the form of long smooth hollow tubes.
