The Best Pasta Shape For Every Sauce You Can Imagine

There are dozens of types of pasta, and dozens of types of sauce – and figuring out which goes with which can take some trial and error. While pasta is, of course, immensely versatile, and will taste good in most applications, the texture, heaviness, and flavors of certain sauces will be complemented by certain shapes way better than others. Breaking it down by pasta shape category, let’s discuss which sauces are best-suited to which varieties.

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Ribbon shapes

“Ribbon” pastas can loosely refer to all longer shapes, running from skinny capellini to thick, flat pappardelle – and, if we’re really pushing this one here, lasagna sheets (although I’d argue they largely exist in a category of their own). Generally speaking, the thickness of the ribbon shape will determine what type of sauce you want to use with it. Capellini is best with light, lemon- or butter-based sauces, while spaghetti works with most of those, tomato sauces, and meat sauces. As they get thicker, though, they become more suited to heavier, chunkier ragus. All of these will also work well with a classic pesto or pesto-based sauces. 

Tube shapes

Tube shapes like penne, rigatoni, and tortiglioni are versatile – but they tend to work slightly better with either tomato sauces or ragus. While they can be used for any sauce, their bite and chunkiness help stop them from getting swallowed by heavier options, and their ridges capture all of that sauce in every bite.

Contoured shapes

By “contoured” shapes, here I’m referring to the likes of farfalle, fusilli, and conchiglie: The kinds that have defined edges and corners that capture sauce well. Like tube shapes, these work well with heavier sauces, but they’re particularly well-suited to creamy sauces, as they grab hold of it in every nook and cranny. They’re also a great option for pesto sauces.

Small shapes

Smaller shapes (or pastina) like ditalini, stelline, orzo, and macaroni come into their own when in a soup or a broth, where they’re not necessarily the star attraction, but still provide bulk and texture. Orzo also works well with creamier sauces, but you have to be careful not to drown it in too much sauce. Macaroni, meanwhile, is of course the perfect choice for mac and cheese (although I’m a fan of using penne or rigatoni in mine sometimes, just to give it a bit more heft). 

Stuffed pasta

With stuffed pasta, you want the filling to be the star attraction – so drowning them in heavier sauces isn’t ideal. The likes of ravioli, tortellini, and mezzelune tend to work best when they’re paired with a simple, butter- or oil-based sauce, perhaps brightened up with some herbs for extra freshness. 

It’s important to note with all of this, though, that pasta and sauce combination preferences can vary considerably from person to person. If you want to pair your contoured shapes with a basic butter sauce, go for it! If you want to combine pastina with marinara, the kitchen’s your oyster. Just remember that certain duos work well for a reason.