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When you buy pasta, do you always buy the same shape? Or do you try out different ones and pair them with different sauces for more variety? If you’re just starting out in your own home kitchen, chances are that pasta is something you’re gravitating toward because it is simple and delicious. If you’re constantly making spaghetti and red sauce, it’s time to liven things up! Here’s your guide to decoding the shapes and names of pasta to add some pizazz to your meals!
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If you’re in need of something twisted, this pasta is long and shaped like a corkscrew. It’s great for retaining thin sauces like pesto or an arrabbiata (spicy tomato) sauce.
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Penne is shaped like a cylinder. It’s wonderful with thicker sauces because they get inside the cylindrical tubes and add to the enjoyment of your dish.
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Cavatelli
Made from eggless semolina dough, this type of pasta is often described as looking like little tiny hot dog buns. This pasta is amazing with creamy or meaty sauces because they get trapped inside the crevice of the pasta.
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This thick, flat pasta is created with eggs and flour. It’s a wider variety of pasta and is the perfect base for creamy, cheesy, meaty, butter or even oil-based sauces. Matriciani pasta is very similar in thickness and shape and can also be used with these types of sauces.
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Like fettuccine, pappardelle is very wide and flat. It’s a hefty style of pasta so it pairs beautifully with rich creamy sauces or decadently heavy meat sauces.
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Bucatini
It’s almost like spaghetti in that it’s long and thick. But the difference with bucatini is that it has a hole in the center. It works well with tomato sauce that can seep deep down into its holes, or for baked pasta dishes.
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Capellini is the official name of what you’ve probably known as “angel hair.” It’s extremely thin and long, almost delicate in nature. It goes best with thinner, lighter sauces.
So now that you know a little more about pasta and some of the different varieties it comes in, which one will you be serving for dinner tonight?