You are lying if you say you do not like pasta because underneath, you are either craving it right now, or you’ve never had good pasta. Did you know that there are 600 types of pasta in the world approximately? And did you know that every shape of pasta goes differently with every sauce? This is why there’s a whole different section of pasta on the menu at a restaurant and why you need this pasta guide. Pasta can be the most beautiful dish if prepared correctly, keeping all of the factors in mind. If you learn about the fundamentals of pasta, its shapes, and sauces, you can definitely up your pasta game to another level.
A few more things to keep in mind while preparing the most wholesome pastas are:
- Always salt the boiling water. Put as much salt as you want, it will really help your pasta become softer and more flavorsome.
- Take a bigger pot instead so that your pastas do not stick to each other and get pretty messy.
- Really mix the pasta with sauce thoroughly, do not just put it on top of it, but actually mix it.
It sounds too overwhelming, but we are here to help you ace the Pasta game!
SHAPES
Generally, there are 5 shapes that pasta comes in. We will go one by one with these 7 broad categories and learn about what all “types” of pasta are included under it and what sauce goes best with them. Let’s get on with the ‘shapes’ portion of our pasta guide.
LONG PASTA
You know, the really long pasta that almost looks like noodles, like spaghetti, linguine, vermicelli, etc. Of course, these are the first ones on our pasta guide; it goes fantastic with light, creamy and oil-based sauces. Similarly, we have Angel Hair, Bucatini, Fettuccine, tagliatelle, Bigoli, pappardelle, Fedelini, Capellini, amongst many others. These are like ribbons, thicker and longer and usually very delicious if paired with thick, rich and meaty sauces.
TWISTED PASTA
Torchio, Fusilli, Festoni, Mafaldine are some of the examples of twisted pasta shapes. There is obviously a longer list to it. This pasta pairs best with really clingy, light and smooth sauces. Pesto works great with this one.
TUBE PASTA
Penne, Macaroni, mezze, etc are common pasta shapes, available in almost every store. These are the best fit for cheesy baked pasta recipes, with vegetarian pasta sauce. It tastes delicious!
MINI PASTA
All the tiny-shaped pastas like your fregola, corallini, farfalline, grattini, all of these are perfect for soups and salads and taste so much better with creamy and meaty sauces. The next time you are making a pasta salad, keep the sauces and shapes in mind!
FILLED PASTA
This pasta guide would be incomplete without mentioning these. Ravioli and Tortellini are the famous names under this pasta shape. These are usually kept lighter and are served only with butter or oil-based sauces so as not to overpower the flavours present in the pasta. These are very flavoursome and taste the best out of all the pasta shapes, in my opinion.
Read also – 10 Rasgulla Varieties You Must Try out when in Bengal.
SAUCES
Now that you know about the Pasta shapes and the kind of sauces that go flawlessly with them, our pasta guide will give you all a little background on the different sauces.
Marinara Sauce
Made up of fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic and herbs. This sauce is classic. Tastes amazing with your Spaghettis and your Zitis.
Arrabbiata Sauce
Commonly, known as the Red Sauce, it is a very spicy sauce beloved by all spicy food lovers. It is made up of garlic, red chilli and olive oil. It tastes the best with Penne Pasta.
Carbonara Sauce
It is a white creamy sauce with a silky texture to it, made up of egg, parmesan cheese and pepper. Fusilli and spaghetti pasta go best with this sauce.
Pesto Sauce
Different from all the other sauces in texture, colour and taste. It is made up of basil leaves, garlic, Parmesan, pine nuts and olive oil. The basil leaves give it the green color. This goes best with your spaghetti.
Alfredo Sauce
Also, known as the “White Sauce”, prepared with cheese, butter and cream. It is very thick and creamy and goes with almost all kinds of pastas.
Conclusion
This is a very short guide to help you understand the pasta world. We really hope it helps you in making the best pasta of your lives. You can always experiment, and you never know what you might end up inventing.
What is your favourite pasta dish?
Read also – All About Cinnamon And Its Health Benefits
