How To Cook Different Types Of Pastas

From classic Italian-style dishes to modern interpretations, there are so many ways to cook different types of pasta. Whether you are a beginner cook or a seasoned chef, this guide will help you learn how to cook different types of pasta.

Types of Pastas

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Before you start cooking, it’s important to know the different types of pasta available. Common types of pasta include spaghetti, macaroni, lasagna, fettuccine, penne, linguine, and ravioli. Each type of pasta has its own unique texture, shape, and flavor.

1. Shells

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Shells are available in a number of sizes, making them ideal for a wide range of recipes, and their open cavity gathers sauce, spice, and meat. Small shells are perfect for mac and cheese or marinara sauce, while giant shells are ideal for filled shell recipes.

Time to cook:

3 to 4 minutes for fresh

10 - 12 minutes to dry

Ideal for: baked goods, salads, and macaroni and cheese

Tomato, cream, cheese, vinaigrette, meat, and vegetables are ideal sauces and ingredients.

2. Spaghetti

Spaghetti noodles are thin spherical threads roughly 10 inches long. These noodles go so well with marinara sauce that the meal is called after the pasta.

Time to cook:

2 to 3 minutes for fresh

9 - 11 minutes to dry

Ideal with: Tossing with sauce.

Tomato, pesto, beef, and seafoods are ideal sauces and ingredients.

3. Tortellini

Tortellini is a type of filled pasta that originated in Bologna and northern Italy. It's a ring-shaped pasta that's usually filled with meat, cheese, or veggies.

Time to cook:

5 minutes fresh

10 - 11 minutes to dry

Ideal with: Tossing with sauce, soups, and pasta salad

Alfredo, cream, cheese, garlic, and tomatoes are ideal sauces and components.

4. Pappardelle

Pappardelle noodles are wide, long, flat pasta strands with a rough feel that originated in Tuscany. This pasta is larger and wider than other flat pasta and goes well with heavier sauces like ragus.

Time to cook:

3 to 4 minutes for fresh

7 to 10 minutes to dry

Ideal with: Pork or beef ragu

Cream of mushroom, ragu, Bolognese, meats, and cheeses are ideal sauces and components.

5. Linguine

Linguine, like fettuccine, is a thinner pasta with long, flat strands around 1/8" broad.

Time to cook:

2 to 3 minutes for fresh

10 - 12 minutes to dry

Ideal: Tossing with sauce.

Tomato, pesto, olive oil, and shellfish are ideal sauces and ingredients.

6. Cavatappi

Cavatappi is a corkscrew-shaped pasta with ridges etched into it to help it stick to the sauce.

Time to cook:

6 to 8 minutes if fresh

9 - 11 minutes to dry

Ideal for: baking, salads, or tossing with sauce.

Pesto, sundried tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, peas, cream sauces, and robust Pomodoro are ideal sauces and ingredients.

7. Farfalle

Farfalle noodles, often known as bowtie pasta, are squares with ridged ends that are pinched in the middle to produce a bowtie shape. Because of their adaptability, they may be served in both hot and cold pasta dishes.