There’s so much more to pasta than spaghetti and macaroni. Actually that’s one of the best things about pasta – with so many different shapes there are literally hundreds of ways to explore and enjoy this amazing ingredient.

Let’s run you through some of our favourite shapes and suggest ways you can use them. But remember there are no rules, just your taste buds and imagination.
Spaghetti it’s the most popular pasta and is usually paired with tomato sauce and a sprinkle of cheese for a simple tasty meal. Spaghetti works with all kinds of sauces - we recommend trying it with pesto, but why not explore other flavours such as Asian spaghetti?
Fusilli You may have come across a short spiral-shaped pasta - that's fusilli. Its shape helps it retain the sauce making it a great choice for saucy pasta recipes. Check out our Fusilli with Chicken and Spinach in a Cream Sauce for a great tasting meal that can be made in under 30 minutes.
Penne Lisce Lisce means smooth in Italian. It’s a short, tube-shaped pasta with angled ends that is perfect for meat-based sauces, like Penne Arrabiata. Try it with roasted vegetables in a tomato sauce or add penne to chicken salad for an easy summer lunch.
Penne Rigate These are the smaller, thinner and ridged cousins of penne lisce. Its ridges make it perfect for holding sauce, while its shape also makes them a great choice for cold pasta salads. Always delicious with white or tomato sauce.
Vermicelli Thinner than spaghetti, Vermicelli’s is a great option for soups, but also works well with chunky cuts of meat to bring out the meat’s texture. Check out our Spicy Beef and Vermicelli Cut Asian Salad or Minestrone Soup with Vermicelli.
Lasagne Wide, thin, sheets of pasta layered with white (bechemel) sauce, cheese and minced meat (or veggies) create this heart-warming dish, loved the world over and perfect for family get togethers. Once you have mastered lasagne you can improvise and create your own version of this Italian classic.
Conchiglioni The name comes from its shape which looks like a conch seashell. So versatile this pasta can be stuffed and baked, used with a meat sauce, or as the base for a pasta salad. Try this great recipe to start exploring the delicious world of shell pasta: conchiglioni stuffed with spinach and ricotta in a tomato sauce. Mmmmmm!
Cannelloni This long cylindrical pasta is made to be stuffed… with minced beef, veggies, ricotta cheese and spinach, then covered with sauce and baked in the oven. Or how about sweet cannelloni stuffed with cheese drenched in rose syrup? You are limited only by your imagination.
Farfalle Means ‘butterfly’ but this pasta’s shape has also earned it the name ‘Bow Tie’ pasta. It can be used in different recipes and is also great for pasta salad. Try it cold with pesto sauce, roasted cherry tomatoes, pine nuts and parmesan cheese. Simple. Delicious.

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