I am not Italian, but a meal of homemade minestrone soup, and then a simple Spaghetti al Pesto followed by Osso Buco, made lovingly by someone's Nonna, is my kind of heaven. Steve Albini once said, 'In heaven, after antipasti, the first course will be pasta,' and I agree with that. This is the ultimate guide to pasta.

Pasta comes in different shapes, sizes and colours and is predominantly associated with Italy, although evidence suggests that it was introduced by Marco Polo, returning with it from China. I have my doubts about this because pasta, just like cheese, is not usually found on the tables in the Far East unless you mean noodles.

Anyway, today Italy rules supreme using durum wheat to produce a marvellous range of shapes and sizes to suit every kind of meat, vegetable and sauce.

I read somewhere that there are over 300 different types of pasta and umpteen different names too, but here are some of the most popular. They come as short, long, sheets, tubes, ribbons or decorative.

Ultimate Guide to Pasta

Lasagne - wide sheets used to make a baked layered pasta dish with meat or vegetables, béchamel and tomato sauce. 'Lasagne' means 'cooking pot' in Italian.

Capellini aka angel hair, are very fine strands of long pasta often used in stir-fry dishes or broken and cooked in soups. Named after the Italian word meaning 'thin hair'.

Fusilli – corkscrew-shaped pasta.

Spaghetti - doesn't really need much introduction. It goes with just about any sauce and is a favourite for kids especially spaghetti bolognese and alphabetti spaghetti canned in tomato sauce and dreamed up by the marketing men at Heinz, Knorr or
Campbell.

Fettuccine - a ribbon pasta often used for Alfredo, fettuccine cooked with parmesan cheese and butter or olive oil. Fettuccine translates to 'little slices'.

Pappardelle - the flattest of ribbon pastas, pappardelle is often paired with ragùs and game. It means 'little tongues' in Italian.

Macaroni - the most versatile of pasta shapes, which can be added to soups and salads. It's used for the classic macaroni and cheese dish.

Rigatoni - a wider version of penne with ridges down its sides, which makes it perfect to hold any sauce.

Elicoidali — a helical-ridged tube pasta similar to rigatoni, but with the ridges spiralling around the tube rather than running straight. The name comes from the Italian for 'helical'. 

Tortiglioni — a ridged tube pasta, wider than penne and slightly twisted, which makes it excellent for holding thick, meaty sauces like ragù. The name comes from the Italian word for 'twisted'.

Farfalle - sometimes called 'bowties' or 'butterflies' – works well with light sauces.

Tortellini - are perfect to fill with meat, vegetables or cheese.

Ravioli - usually filled with meat, cheese, or vegetables.

Vermicelli - long stranded pasta called 'little worms' in Italian.

Conchiglie – shell-like shape. Conchigliette is a miniature version.

Orecchiette - is an ear-like shape; it holds any sauce well.

Orzo - the tiniest pasta shape – is a bit like a large grain of rice. It's often used in minestrone soup.

Bucatini - spaghetti like but with a hole running through the centre. It comes from the Italian words 'buco' for 'hole' and 'bucato', meaning pierced.

Linguine — flat spaghetti, meaning 'little tongues' in Italian. Works well with seafood and light oil-based sauces.

Tagliatelle - another ribbon pasta which is usually narrower than fettuccine. From the Italian tagliare, meaning 'to cut'.

Cannelloni - large pasta tubes, usually baked with a filling and covered by a sauce. The Italian meaning is 'large reeds'.

Campanelle - a bell like shape with ruffled edges.

Casarecce - a rolled pasta that takes chunky sauces well.

Ditalini - known as 'little thimbles' and is good for soups, casseroles and salads.

Fideo - is a short version of angel hair, often used in soups.

Gigli - known as 'lilies' because of its shape and is perfect for heavy sauces.

Penne - very versatile tubes good for use in bakes.

Penne Rigate - same as penne but with ridges.

Radiatori - it's in the name; yes, they look like 'radiators'.

There’s a lot more, but the above are familiar to me. If there's something I have obviously missed out on, then let me know.

Lastly, here are some recipe ideas for pasta.

Fabulous Wild Garlic & Sausage Pasta
Pasta alla Vialli
Pasta: With Courgette (Zucchini) and Mint
Pasta: Farfalle with smoked salmon, prawns, butternut squash, carrots and tangy tomato sauce
Chicken, Salsa Verde and Farfalle
Aromatic Oxtail Ragù

Tomate-Frito Chicken & Mushroom Pasta.

This post is part of my Pasta Recipes collection. It joins a growing collection of pasta dishes — from quick weeknight suppers to slow-cooked ragù and baked Italian classics — in my complete Pasta Recipes hub.

Wonky photos, proper pasta, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef