Food Recipe Collections & Favorites Popular Ingredients 20+ Types of Pasta Noodles Everyone Should Know Consider this your essential guide to the various noodle shapes and sizes you're likely to come across. By Samantha Leffler Samantha Leffler Samantha is the senior food editor at RealSimple and previously launched the US Weekly food vertical, where she wrote about the intersection of food and pop culture. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 24, 2023 Medically reviewed by Kristy Del Coro, MS, RDN, LDN Medically reviewed by Kristy Del Coro, MS, RDN, LDN Kristy Del Coro is a registered dietitian nutritionist, RDN, and professionally trained chef with more than 10 years of experience in the field of culinary nutrition. Her strong background in nutrition science, sustainable food systems, and culinary education makes her exceptionally qualified to write about food that is good for us and the planet—while not sacrificing flavor. Learn More Every pasta lover and Italian food fanatic knows that picking the right pasta can elevate a good pasta recipe into a great pasta dish. There's a reason restaurants keep many types of pasta in stock: They know there's a perfect noodle for every sauce or dish. We lined up our favorite noodle types—with pictures, cooking times, best uses, and sauce pairings—so you can pair your perfect pasta with a dish that makes it shine. Whether you're just learning how to cook pasta or you make it yourself, you'll learn something new with this handy noodle guide. 01 of 21 Angel Hair and Capellini Getty Images The Italian "capellini" means "little hairs," an apt description for these long, thin, delicate strands. Angel hair pasta, or Capelli d'angelo, is even thinner and often sold in a nest-like shape. Cooking time: 3 to 5 minutesBest for: Tossing with sauceIdeal sauces: Light tomato, olive oil, cream, butter, seafood 02 of 21 Elbow Macaroni Getty Images For most of us, our first thought about macaroni—that dry pasta shaped like narrow tubes—is that it's half of the beloved mac and cheese found on nearly every kid's menu. Short and C-shaped, elbow pasta is arguably the most common macaroni shape. Cooking time: 6 to 8 minutesBest for: Baked dishes, salads, soupsIdeal sauces: Cheese, butter 03 of 21 Farfalle or Bow Ties Getty Images In Italian, farfalle (pronounced far-FAH-lee), which means "butterflies," are pinched in the middle to look like bow ties. A larger variation is known as farfalloni, while the miniature version is called farfalline. Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutesBest for: Tossing with sauce, saladsIdeal sauces: Cheese, olive oil, butter 04 of 21 Fettuccine Getty Images These spaghetti-length noodles, sometimes made with eggs, are flat and about ¼-inch wide. Fettuccini, a term that translates to "little ribbons," is often compared to tagliatelle, which is a bit wider and always made using eggs. Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutesBest for: Tossing with sauceIdeal sauces: Meat, cream, cheese 05 of 21 Fusilli and Rotini Getty Images Both twisty, 1½-inch long noodles, fusilli and rotini are essentially interchangeable as far as recipes go, but there are subtle differences between the two: Fusilli, which translates to "little spindles," is made by twisting strands of pasta into a spring-like shape.Rotini, which means "twists" or "spirals," is extruded into tighter twists. Cooking time: 8 to 10 minutesBest for: Baked dishes, saladsIdeal sauces: Tomato, pesto, seafood 06 of 21 Jumbo Shells Getty Images These large shell-shaped noodles have a ridged exterior and a big, open cavity that practically begs to be stuffed. They're sometimes referred to by their Italian name, conchiglioni (pronounced kon-KEEL-yoni), which means—you guessed it—"large shells." Cooking time: 11 to 13 minutesBest for: Stuffing, baked dishesIdeal sauces: Tomato, cream 07 of 21 Orzo Getty Images This pasta takes the shape of rice or barley, from which it gets its name. It's classified as pastina or "little pasta," a category of very small pasta. Cooking time: 9 to 11 minutesBest for: Salads, soupsIdeal sauces: Light tomato, olive oil, vinaigrette 08 of 21 Penne Getty Images Penne are small 2- to 4-inch-long tubes, about the size of a pinkie finger. Cut on the diagonal, some have ridges (and some don't). Penne is Italian for "pen," a reference to the angled ends of the tube that resemble the tip of a quill pen. Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutesBest for: Tossing with sauceIdeal sauces: Chunky tomato, meat, vegetable, cream 09 of 21 Shells or Conchiglie Getty Images Most of us refer to conchiglie (pronounced kon-KEEL-yay) as its English translation, which is "shells" or "seashells." This pasta's shape creates a cavity that's conducive to clinging sauce. Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutesBest for: Baked dishes, saladsIdeal sauces: Tomato, meat, vegetable, cream, cheese, vinaigrette 10 of 21 Linguine Getty Images These spaghetti-like noodles are flat, like fettuccini, but half as wide: about ⅛-inch. Its Italian name means "little tongues." Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutesBest for: Tossing with sauceIdeal sauces: Tomato, pesto, olive oil, seafood 11 of 21 Orecchiette Getty Images This distinctive form of pasta originated in the "heel" of Italy's boot and can be challenging to make by hand. Orecchiette (pronounced oh-reck-ee-ET-tay) are small concave disk shapes that look like little ears, which is exactly what this pasta's name translates to. Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutesBest for: Tossing with sauceIdeal sauces: Meat, cream, seafood 12 of 21 Pappardelle Getty Images Pappardelle (pronounced pap-par-DAY-lay) are long, flat egg noodles about ⅝-inch wide. Their name translates to "gulp down," perhaps referencing its delicious nature or the less than dignified way it's consumed. Cooking time: 7 to 10 minutesBest for: Tossing with sauceIdeal sauces: Tomato, meat, vegetable 13 of 21 Rigatoni Getty Images These tubular, ridged noodles are about 1½-inches long with a ¾-inch diameter. Their name translates to "large grooves" or "large stripes." Cooking time: 11 to 13 minutesBest for: Tossing with sauce, baked dishesIdeal sauces: Chunky meat or vegetable, cream, cheese 14 of 21 Spaghetti Getty Images For many of us, spaghetti was our introduction to pasta. These entry-level noodles are thin, round strands about 10 inches long. This type of pasta is not to be confused with spaghetti squash, which is a vegetable; spaghetti code, which means badly written code; or spaghetti westerns, which are a type of movie made in Europe, usually with an Italian director. Cooking time: 9 to 11 minutesBest for: Tossing with sauceIdeal sauces: Tomato, pesto, meat, seafood 15 of 21 Ziti Getty Images Ziti noodles are medium-width tubes (just a bit wider than a drinking straw), at least 2 inches long, and almost always have smooth sides. When compared with penne, ziti have squared-off ends (as opposed to penne's angled cuts) and are generally larger. The word "ziti" means "bride" or "bridegroom," referring to this pasta's popularity in baked dishes served at Sicilian weddings. Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutesBest for: Baked dishesIdeal sauces: Light tomato, olive oil, cream, cheese 16 of 21 Ditalini Getty Images Translated from Italian, ditalini means "little thimbles," which is a good description of this pasta's size and shape. They're short, small tubes that fit nicely on a soup spoon and hold their own in a hearty stew. Cooking time: 8 to 10 minutesBest for: Soups, like minestrone, because it cooks quicklyIdeal sauces: Tomato-based soups 17 of 21 Gemelli Getty Images Gemelli is the word for "twins," which aptly describes this pasta that looks like two thick noodle strands twisted together. You'll most likely find it in a casserole or a pasta salad. Cooking time: 12 to 13 minutesBest for: Oil-based sauces that can drizzle down the strandsIdeal sauces: Light tomato sauces, dairy-based sauces, or oil-based sauces 18 of 21 Paccheri Getty Images Paccheri (pronounced PAH-ker-ee) is a large, tubular type of pasta. Its root, "pacca," means "pat" or "slap," referring to the sound the pasta makes when it's tossed with sauce. These noodles are commonly stuffed with ricotta (or other fillings) and then baked. Cooking time: 7 to 10 minutes.Best for: Rich, heavier sauces or seafoodIdeal sauces: Tomato and oil-based sauces, which coat the sides in a slick layer 19 of 21 Campanelle Getty Images Campanelle means "bells," which is a good description of this cone-shaped noodle with distinctive ruffled edges. Its unique shape helps it stand up well in a pasta salad or under a heavy topping. Cooking time: 10 to 11 minutesBest for: Heavy, creamy saucesIdeal sauces: Dairy-based sauces such as béchamel, vegetable sauces with chunky vegetables, meat sauces, fish-based sauces, or hearty tomato-based sauces 20 of 21 Lumaconi Getty Images Lumaca is Italian for "snail," so lumaconi means "large snails." These noodles are essentially big tubes with one end pinched closed. This pasta's hollow part is great for scooping up hearty sauces, but you'll also find them stuffed and served as finger food. Cooking time: 11 to 14 minutesBest for: Hearty sauces filled with vegetablesIdeal sauces: Stuffed and served on their own; or paired with robust meat, vegetable, or tomato sauces 21 of 21 Reginette or Mafaldine Getty Images This ruffly pasta noodle is named for the Italian princess Mafalda of Savoy, hence its dual moniker: Reginette means "little queens," and mafaldine means "little Mafalde." They're often used as long spaghetti-length noodles, but short versions are available as well. Cooking time: 9 to 12 minutesBest for: Tossing with wilted greens or baconIdeal sauces: Light, simple sauces, seafood sauces, or meat sauces realsimple.com; illustrations by Melinda Josie Best Pasta Sauces Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit