Heck it can get confusing! There are so many different types of pasta available, it can be tricky to understand and remember which is which.
I’ve designed this page to help you get to know these different types of pasta, so below you’ll find a full A-Z listing.
To use it, you can click the letter in question to go straight there, or just browse around by scrolling up and down. Enjoy!
Note: For advice on matching sauces with different pastas, see my pasta tips. And to read my pasta naming guide (spaghetti/spaghettoni anyone?), click here.
A-Z OF PASTA TYPES
AMORI (also, SPIRALI/ CAVATAPPI)
A tubular corkscrew shaped pasta, A.K.A. pasta spirals. These come from Southern Italy originally and are an adaptable shape suited to many types of pasta sauce.
ANELLINI
Translates as ‘small rings’ in Italian (the ‘ini’ word ending refers to smaller pasta shapes, as explained on this pasta naming page. Anellini are often used in soups.
BARBINA
A long type of strand pasta almost identical to capellini, usually sold in a coiled shape – to look like a nest.
BAVETTE
Effectively flattened spaghetti, and virtually identical to linguine.
CAPELLI D’ANGELO (ANGEL HAIR)
Capelli d’angelo – literally translated as ‘hairs of the angels’ – is the very thinnest type of pasta, comprising long, very fine strands (‘hairs’) of pasta. Because of its delicacy this type of pasta suits similarly delicate sauces (such as light tomato sauces and broths). Or you could cook it like my breakfast pasta with oil and butter (only without the egg). This pasta’s thinness also means it cooks really quickly – in just a couple of minutes.
Capelli d’angelo is usually served as a ‘primo piatto’ (first course), rather than a main. (Thanks to Gui at z-oc for the great pasta pic.)
BOW TIE PASTA
Called farfalle in Italian. A great small pasta for pasta salads like this scrummy vegetable dish.
BUCATINI
This pasta name comes from ‘buco’, which means hole in Italian, because bucatini is like a hollow version of spaghetti (almost like a thin drinking straw). Perciatelli is a wider version of bucatini.
CALAMARI (also, CALAMARETTI, CALAMARATA)
Originating from the city of Naples (‘Napoli’) in the South of Italy, calamari – also called calamaretti – are thick rings of pasta dyed with black squid ink so that they resemble sliced calamari (a squid dish). Note: if you like seafood, I recommend you try this easy seafood pasta recipe.
CAMPANELLE
A great pasta for catching dribbly pasta sauces, campanelle is a creative looking type of pasta that resembles a church bell (campanelle literally translates as ‘bellblowers’).
Campanelle’s fluted edges also resemble the petals of a foxglove flower. (Thanks to lccavender for the great photo.)
CANDELE
This word means candles in English. Candele are long hollow pasta tubes, designed to be the same length – unsurprisingly – as your average sized candle!
CANNELLONI
Cannelloni (literally ‘large reeds’) are rectangle-shapes of flat pasta dough that are filled – with spinach and ricotta for example – and then rolled into large tube shapes. Cannelloni is then finished by smothering a sauce on top.
CANNEROZZETTI
A relatively rare type of tubed pasta with ridges down the sides.
CAPPELLETTI
Similar to, but smaller than tortellini. Originating from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, cappelletti – or ‘little hats’ in Italian – are often served with broth. (Pic courtesy of comeilmare).
CAPELLINI
Translated as ‘fine hairs’, capellini are – like angel hair – thin, long strands of round pasta, only slightly thicker. As with angel hair, delicate pasta sauces suit capellini best.
CAPUNTI
An interested shaped pasta, roughly an inch and a half long, that resembles an open pea pod (or, depending on your viewpoint, a small canoe).
CASSULI
A curved, almost tube-like, kind of pasta featuring horizontal raised ridges.
CAVATAPPI (SPIRALI/AMORI)
Cavatappi are tubular corkscrew shaped pasta, A.K.A. pasta spirals. These come from Southern Italy originally and are an adaptable shape suited to many types of sauce. (Picture courtesy of aesterling.)
CAVATELLI
Described by some as miniature ‘hot dog buns’, cavatelli are small folded pasta shapes that come originally from the Puglia region (on a map, this is the ‘heel’ of Italy’s ‘boot’).
CAVATURI
A small, rolled type of pasta that, like cavatelli, comes from the Puglia region. Great for pasta salads.
CELLENTANI
Meaning ‘whirls’, cellentani are small tubed pasta shapes with a ridged surface. Often used in pasta salads.
CENCIONI
These ‘little rags’ are oval shapes with a slight curve like the hull (bottom) of a boat. Great for holding heavier pasta sauces.
CHOCOLATE PASTA
There are different types of pasta, and different types of pasta, but this one wins the freakiest award! It’s a traditional Tuscan pasta made with a small percentage of cocoa (for the choccy taste) and then served either with game (wild birds), cream sauce and walnuts, or as a dessert with ice cream. If you ever travel to Sienna or Florence, I recommend you try it.
CONCHIGLIE
A popular shell-shaped small pasta, literally translated as ‘conch shells’ (and pronounced ‘con-kee-lee-ay’). The shell is good for catching dribbly sauces – as explained on my pasta tips page – so conchiglie are often served with delicious cream or sumptuous tomato sauces.
CORALLINI
A very small tubed pasta type that is often used in soups. As with other miniature pasta types, can be classified as a ‘pastina’.
CORZETTI
Originating from Liguria, the much overlooked and beautiful coastal region of North West Italy, corzetti are a flat circular pasta ‘stamped’ to resemble ancient coins. (I have a soft spot for corzetti as they were served at my wedding in Rapallo, Liguria, when they were smothered in pesto – also from Liguria.) Picture by www.tigulliovino.it.
DITALI
Large pasta tubes from the Campania region of Italy. Ditali means ‘thimbles’ in Italian, therefore ‘ditalini’ are little thimbles (click here to read my guide to how word endings like ‘ini’ and ‘oni’ are used to refer to different types of pasta).
ELBOW MACARONI
A short, curved type of macaroni (spelt ‘maccheroni’ in Italian), often served with cheese in America.
ELICHE
Pasta spirals, similar to fusilli.
FARFALLE (BOW TIES)
Actually Italian for ‘butterflies’, farfalle are small rectangle-shaped pieces of pasta that have been pinched together in the middle. (Pic by Jim Simandl.)
FETTUCCINE (FETTUCCINI)
Derived from the old Italian word ‘fettucce’ (string), fettuccine refers to flat pasta sheets cut into ribbon-like strands. Fettuccine is wider than linguine, and therefore better for catching tomato, cream and meat sauces.
FILINI
‘Small threads’ in Italian. Filini are very thin, round pasta sticks roughly an inch in length.
FIORENTINE
A pasta shape from Tuscany that looks rather like a curvy, open-ended rigatoni.
FIORIETTINI
A flower shaped pasta that looks like it’s been made from joined (and ridged) pasta circles.
FOGLIE D’ULIVO
Olive leaf shaped pasta, originally from Basilicata in Southern Italy.
FUSILLI
Fusilli is the Italian word for ‘little spindles’. Fusilli are more tightly curled than spirali/ cavatappi and great for catching cream and vegetable sauces, as well as using in pasta salads like this wholesome vegetable dish.
A longer version of fusilli also exists called ‘fusilli napoletani’ (from the Southern Italian city of Naples).
FUSILLI BUCATI
Long fusilli that have been hollowed out, drinking straw style. Photo by ‘usychan’ on Flickr.
GALLETTI (CRESTO DI GALLO)
Literally, ‘cocks’ combs’, galletti (pronounced ‘gah-LAY-tee’) are semi-circular tubular pasta with ruffled edges.
GARGANELLI
Garganelli are penne-like pasta shapes, however they are rougher looking. They resemble homemade penne almost… created by folding and sticking together pasta rectangles. Waitrose supermarket in the UK sells this pasta under its own name brand.
(Wonderful garganelli pic by Luisa Ghetti.)
GEMELLI
Gemelli, which truly is a different type of pasta (without any real variations of its own), translates as ‘twins’ – so called because this type of pasta is made by twisting two short strands of pasta around each other.
GIRASOLE
Meaning sunflower in Italian, girasole is sunflower-shaped ravioli (stuffed pasta).
GRAMIGNA
A short curled type of pasta (the plural form of the word is ‘gramigne’). Like a semi-circle shape with one end more curled inwards. (Pic below by Nicola Poluzzi.)
LASAGNA (LASAGNE)
Lasagna is one sheet of flat pasta, whereas lasagne refers to several such sheets.
Originating from the Emilia Romagna region of North Italy, lasagna can be cooked with minced beef (the most popular version), vegetables, and many more ingredients. (Check out my easy lasagna recipes to get started.)
LASAGNOTTE (LASAGNETTE)
Instead of large flat sheets, lasagnotte are wide strips of pasta, broken into pieces, which are boiled rather than being baked and served in messy form on a plate.
LINGUINE
Another pasta originating from Liguria, linguine refers to long flat strips of pasta (thinner than fettuccine). Sometimes called flat spaghetti, linguine (also referred to as linguini) is Italian for ‘little tongues’. In Liguria, linguine are also called ‘trenette’ (trenette al pesto being a staple meal of this region).
LUMACHE
Lumache is Italian for ‘snails’, so this variably-sized stuffed pasta is shaped like a snail’s shell.
MACCHERONI (MACARONI)
A small pasta type made with semolina and water (rather than flour and eggs). Maccheroni comes in many forms, from elbow maccheroni to ditalini (very short, small tubes).
MAFALDE
Almost identical to tagliatelle, only featuring frilled, ruffled edges. I recommend cooking this pasta with this tomato sauce (ideally with ricotta cheese stirred in). Delicious!
MANICOTTI
A stuffed baked pasta, manicotti translates as ‘sleeves’ in Italian and refers to large, tube-shaped noodles.
MEZZALUNE (MEZZELUNE)
In Italian this means ‘half moons’. A semi-circular type of stuffed pasta. Also sometimes referred to as ravioli, or in the North of Italy, pansotti.
(Check out my simple and sumptuous spinach and ricotta recipe to get making mezzalune.)
MEZZI RIGATAONI
As implied above, mezza or mezzi means half in Italian, therefore this pasta name means ‘half rigatoni’ (a shorter version of rigatoni).
MOSTACCIOLI (PENNE LISCE)
Mostaccioli means ‘small moustaches’. This pasta is a 2-inch tube pasta common to the Campania region of Southern Italy. (Like penne only without the ridges.)
OCCHI DI LUPO
These occhi are large, penne-like pasta shapes (‘lupo’ means wolf and ‘occhi’ eyes, so this pasta is literally ‘eyes of the wolf’ in Italian). Usually served with cream or tomato sauces.
ORECCHIETTE
Orecchiette means ‘small ears’, and refers to a rather curious and very different type of pasta from the Puglia region of Italy. A great small pasta for scooping up sauce, orecchiette go well with heavier meat and vegetable sauces.
ORZO
This small pasta is thought to look like grain (orzo means barley), so is often used as an alternative to rice. Similar to punte d’argo.
PACCHERI (MEZZIPACCHIERI)
Like rigatoni (a smallish tubed pasta), only without ridges.
A traditional treat, pappardelle is a wide egg noodle from Tuscany. Often served with serious meat sauces such as wintry wild boar ragu.
PANSOTTI
An interchangeable term that refers to mezzalune in some parts of Italy (such as the North), but triangular-shaped ravioli in others.
PASTA AL CEPPO
Shaped like a stick of cinnamon (which some Italians put in their espresso… the real cinnamon that is, not the pasta!).
PASTINA
Means ‘little pasta’. Sometimes used to refer to tiny pasta stars, but pastina is also used as a category name that refers to several tiny pasta types such as ditalini.
PENNE (MALTAGLIATI)
One of the most popular pasta types around, penne (below) means ‘quills’ and refers to straight tubes of pasta cut diagonally at the ends (to resemble the end of a quill, like a quill pen). One classic penne dish is ‘penne all’Arrabbiata’ – which features an ‘angry’ spicy tomato sauce.
Maltagliati refers to freshly made penne (rather than dried penne from a packet), whilst penne zita is a wider penne version.
Note: Penne is a great small pasta for salads like this scrumptious vegetable dish.
PERCIATELLI
A close cousin of bucatini, perciatelli are large hollow strands of pasta.
PIPE
Pronounced ‘PEE-pay’, this means ‘pipes’ in Italian. Therefore ‘pipe’ are small, chunky pasta shapes that resemble mini smoking pipes (think ‘Sherlock Holmes’).
PIZZOCCHERI
A tagliatelle-esque pasta that originates from the Valtellina region of Italy, close to the Swiss border.
The difference between pizzoccheri and tagliatelle is that pizzoccheri are made from two types of flour – plain (or all-purpose) flour and ‘buckwheat’ flour. A classis sauce for this dish is cheese, potato and cabbage (very hearty stuff).
PUNTALETTE
A tiny rice shaped pasta, often used in soups.
PUNTE D’AGO
Meaning ‘needle tops’, these are tiny ‘pastina’ that look exactly like grains of rice. Therefore great for dropping in soups. Sold under the Spigadoro pasta brand and similar to orzo.
QUADREFIORE
Difficult to describe in words, this small, short pasta type looks a little like a flower ‘end-on’. It features approximately 7 wave-edged ridges radiating out from a central tube.
RADIATORE
Literally translates as ‘radiators’, so radiatore are small squares of pasta (not stuffed) that display ridges ‘radiating’ outwards.
RAVIOLI
Arguably the most well-known type of stuffed pasta, ravioli (plural) are usually square with slightly ruffled edges. Get started making them with my easy spinach and ricotta ravioli recipe here.
RICCIA LARGA
A medium-sized lasagne noodle with frilled edges.
RIGATONI
A very popular type of pasta in the south of Italy, rigatoni are large, ridged, and sometimes slightly curved tubes of pasta with square ends (unlike diagonally cut penne).
A great small pasta for catching sauce, rigatoni are therefore often served with tomato and meat sauces. Also try my mamma-in-law’s tasty baked rigatoni recipe.
ROTINI
Rotini are twisted pasta like fusilli, only shorter.
RUOTE (WAGON WHEELS)
A small, wheel-shaped pasta. Useless for catching sauce but good for kids! (Click here to check out more fun-shaped pasta shapes.)
SACCHETTI
Officially called ‘beggar’s purses’, sacchietti are sacks of pasta that are filled like ravioli.
SAGNE
Great for feeding to little Princesses, sagne are curled like ringlets. Also known as sagne incannulate (which are up to 13-inches long).
SCIALATIELLI
A type of pasta from the Amalfi coast in Southern Italy, scialatielli are like short, slightly widened strips of tagliatelle, and are sometimes ‘pinched’ in the middle.
Scialatielli are usually cooked with zucchini (courgette) and muscles/clams, or alternatively served only a fresh cherry tomato and garlic sauce.
SEME DI MELONE
Seme di melone literally translates as ‘seeds of melon’, and is a small pasta (a type of pastina) used in soups.
SPACCATELLI
A long type of tube pasta, like bucatini that has been sliced down one side.
One of the oldest known pasta shapes, spaghetti refers to long, thin, round strands of pasta. Larger versions are called spaghettoni, and smaller ones spaghettini – explained here.
Interestingly, and unlike most long pastas (which are often used with seafood), spaghetti is often served with meat and tomato sauces. Just wear a napkin!
To try my easy and ultra-tasty spaghetti bolognese recipe, click here. Or learn how to make delicious spaghetti and meatballs here.
SPAGHETTI TAGLIATI
Best described as broken spaghetti (spaghetti chopped into smaller lengths for use in soups). Alternatively, my Italian ‘family-in-law’ just snap normal spaghetti sticks.
SPAETZLE
Derived from a German word, spaetzle are very small noodles (or dumplings) that are rolled or squeezed through a colander. Not that dissimilar in form from trofie.
STRANGOZZI
A type of strand pasta, made from egg (as usual), and originating from the Umbria of Italy (central Italy, south of Tuscany).
STROZZAPRETI (STRANGLOLAPRETI)
A type of twisted tube pasta, translates literally as Literally ‘priest stranglers’! Note: the famous Italian pasta maker Barilla refers to this pasta as ‘casarecce’.
TAGLIARINI
A thinner version of tagliatelle (AKA ribbon pasta).
TAGLIATELLE
Classic thin egg noodles, originating from the Emilia Romagna region.
Find out how to make delicious fresh pasta and then slice this into tagliatelle strips in the final video on my how to make pasta page.
TAGLIERINI
A narrower type of tagliatelle. (Learn about ‘ini’ types of pasta here.)
TORCHIETTI
Torchietti means ‘little torches’ in Italian, which aptly describes the shape of this small, bell-shaped pasta. (‘Torchi’ refers to the larger version of this pasta.)
TORCOLETTI
A twisted pasta shape.
TORTELLINI
A small stuffed pasta that looks like little hats. Effectively a larger version of cappelletti.
TORTIGLIONI
Twisted tubes of pasta, used in many baked dishes.
TRENNE
Trenne refers to a triangular version of penne.
TRENETTE
The name used in Liguria for linguine. Often served with traditional Ligurian pesto (see my 5-minute pesto recipe).
TROFIE
As served at a family Christmas dinner I enjoyed in the beautiful seaside town of Rapallo, trofie refers to 2- or 3-inch long thin twisted rolls of pasta.
Originally from Camogli (‘cam-oi-yee’), another Ligurian seaside town, trofie were traditionally rolled on the knees of fishermen’s wives who, it’s said, did this whilst sat out looking to sea and waiting for their men to return.
A traditional Ligurian dish is ‘trofie alla Portofino’, which comprises half a dish of trofie covered in tomato sauce, and the other in the finest Ligurian pesto (see my 5-minute green pesto recipe here). Pic by Sandra Salerno.
TROTTOLE
Trottole comprise pasta rings that are curled around a central column.
TUBETTI
A rather generic term referring to small and short tubed pasta. Tubetti could be called a type of pastina (small pasta often used in soups).
TUBETTI RIGATI (TUBETTINI)
A very small type of pastina that literally translates as ‘little tubes with lines’ in Italian. My kitchen icon mamma-in-law Marisa makes pasta fagioli using tubettini (you’ll find her super-simple pasta fagioli recipe here).
TUFFOLI
A ridged version of rigatoni.
VENTAGLI
Not too common, ventagli are wide, short ribbons of pasta with ruffled edges.
VERMICELLI
A round type of strand pasta literally translated as ‘little worms’ (nice!), which is thinner than spaghetti yet thicker than the super-fine angel hair.
ZITI
A medium sized thin tube pasta (like a hose), sometimes featuring r