
Types of Pasta
Do you have a guess about which pasta types are the most popular? Well, you don’t need to guess because you can keep on reading to find out what the most common pasta shapes are!
Popular Pasta Types Around the World
Pasta is an all-time favorite food of many people all over the world. It is considered one of the main sources of energy. It is also considered among the most delicious foods consumped by all ages and genders.
There are many types people consume both on special occasions and everyday meals. Indeed, a lot of different kinds are being made because of the many benefits it gives consumers. Among these benefits include sustained energy, folic acid, has a low GI or Glycemic Index, offers a balanced diet, cholesterol-free, and has low sodium.
Since it is considered healthy and nutritious, pasta makers have invented different versions of the dish. Featured on this page are the Top 10 pasta types that people around the globe usually buy and eat.

Most popular pasta types
What are the Most Popular Kinds of Pasta?
We’ll give you more details about each one, but here is a quick list of the most common pasta types in the world:
- Spaghetti
- Fettuccine
- Angel hair pasta
- Macaroni
- Fusilli
- Bow ties
- Penne
- Ziti
- Linguine
- Lasagne
Read more for all the details about each one, including recommendations for sauce pairings. Pasta dishes require some careful thought about the noodle shape (tube-shaped pasta, short pasta, bow tie pasta, strands of pasta, etc.) and the sauce pairing, so keep on reading to find out all the details you need to know.
#1: Spaghetti
Spaghetti, a long thin noodle is the most common of all the pasta types. It is the favorite of many, especially kids. Indeed, this is one of the most frequently cooked ones worldwide. It is also usually available and often used in most restaurants and is a few inches long
One will know if what he’s seeing is spaghetti if it color yellow and has long strands. Makers of pasta have also developed veggie spaghetti pasta for the health conscious. Best sauces for this pasta type are the traditional red sauce and meatballs or chunky meat sauces. Vegetable sauces pair well too. The red sauce is also known as the classic sauce which most kids love.
Spaghetti with meat, or tomato sauce is quite possibly the most popular pasta dish of all-time! It’s often served with garlic bread to sop up the extra sauce.
#2: Fettuccine
Fettuccine is made of long strands that are a few inches long but is wider in width than spaghetti. It is also a pasta type that is typically available in most restaurants. Also an all-time favorite, Fettuccine is so easy to prepare at home, too. It is best partnered with seafood, chicken or Alfredo sauce
However, Fettuccine is also delicious when paired with cream sauces. And, since this is made of long strands, thin sauces will also go well with this pasta. It easily soaks with the sauce flavors. Also be sure to check out this article:
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#3:Angel Hair Pasta
The Angel Hair Pasta is also made of long stands. However, the difference is that, the strands are very fine and delicate. Compared to Spaghetti and Fettuccine, this ones requires a shorter cooking time of about 3 to 5 minutes.
Ideal sauces for this type are the oil-based ones that are much better than heavier options. Some find it ideal with light tomato, too. Others pair the Angel Hair Pasta with pesto or seafood sauce. Meat sauces are far too heavy for angel hair. These strands of pasta are quite delicate.
#4: Elbow Macaroni Pasta
Also in this list of the popular types is the Elbow Macaroni pasta. This is a favorite staple food of many families at home. Appearance of this kind is a lot different from the first three mentioned with long strands. This macaroni appears short and they are C-shaped tubes. Cooking time for this pasta type is around 6 to 8 minutes—keep in mind that they are quite a small pasta and may require not as much time as bigger ones.
Households and restaurants use Elbow Macaroni when baking dishes, making salads and cooking soups for appetizer. Ideal sauces for this type are butter and cheese. Kids love the Elbow Macaroni pasta too, especially when paired with cheese sauce or combined with chicken soup. It’s a perfect, quick dinner.
Did you know that you can even make your own macaroni at home? All you need is one of the top pasta extruder machines.
Jamie Oliver’s Guide to Pasta Shapes
#5: Fusilli
Fusilli is also called corkscrew pasta and it’s shaped like nothing that you might really recognize. It is thick in appearance and is also identified by long spirals. There are various sauces that can be perfectly matched with this pasta. It is a favorite when paired with meat sauce.
Fusilli lovers are fond of pairing the Fusilli with sausage mixed in a hot, chili red sauce. What’s best about this pasta’s being Fusilli because it can easily absorb the flavor of the sauce.
#6: Bow Ties

Bow-Tie Pasta
Bow tie pasta are also called the Farfalle, an Italian term which means butterflies. They are pinched in the middle to appear as if it is a bow tie and they have ridged ends.
It takes 10 to 12 minutes of cooking time for the bow ties. It is a pasta type that’s best paired with olive oil, fresh tomato, butter or cheese for the sauce. Or, you may want to use it for pasta salad. Rotini is another favourite for this purpose but as for which is better—it’s purely a matter of personal preference.
Do you think they maybe look like little ears? And do you prefer these ones, or wagon wheels?
#7: Penne
Penne has a small-cylinder shape that sometimes has a ridged texture. It comes with different flavors. The most popular flavors though, are egg and spinach. They are the most frequently bought penne at the supermarket. This Italian pasta type is typically used for pasta salad. Rotini is another nice option for this as well.
However, pasta lovers also eat it with olive oil, salt and pepper to make a simple dish. It’s also robust enough to pair with meat sauces and makes a perfect weeknight dinner.
A similar pasta to this one is Cavatelli and it’s really easy to make your own. Find out more here: Best Cavatelli Maker

Common pasta types
#8: Ziti
Ziti is described as tube pasta that’s medium in width. It is 2 inches in length. Like the Bow ties, this pasta needs 10 to 12 minutes to cook. It is ideal for baked dishes.
Families love to serve the Ziti during special occasions. It is best partnered with olive oil, cheese, cream and light tomato. Some love Ziti with pesto sauce too. Cream sauces do well with it too.
Check out this article for more details: Penne vs Ziti.
The 10 Most Popular Kinds of Pasta
#9: Linguine
Linguine is a type of pasta similar to spaghetti. There are two main differences between the two. Linguine is longer and narrower than spaghetti. This is included in the popular pasta types because it is excellent when partnered with many different sauces, including cream sauces.
These sauces include the red sauces like the Arrabiatta, for one. Homemakers love linguine with creamy Carbonara sauce too.

Pasta types around the world
#10: Lasagna
Lasagna is made of rectangular sheets that are flat and large with ridged edges. Any sauce can be paired with this one. However, it is very popular with traditional red sauce. The sheets of this pasta are used by layering in-between sauces prior to baking.
The sheets are pre-cooked before baking with the sauces. Lasagna is a delicious dish with chopped veggies, meat and cheese on top.
p.s. If you live in Germany, you’ll probably find that people eat a ton of Spaetzle. It’s kind of like a cross between pasta and a dumpling and they’re super easy to make. Find out more here: Spaetzle Maker.
Honorable Mention
What list of popular pasta types is complete without instant noodles, aka ramen? They are eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks around the world but particularly in South Korea, China and Japan. Here are some of the top picks:
Want to Make your own Pasta at Home?

Pasta Maker
If this 10 most popular pasta types article really got your mouth watering and you want to make some delicious fresh noodles at home, then you’ll need a high-quality machine.
Homemade, fresh pasta really is so much more delicious than the dried stuff you buy at the store! Try out some recipes and I’m sure you and your family will agree.
There are a ton of choices over on Amazon for makers, but we’ve done the hard work for you and narrowed down them all to the best five choices.
Check out this list of Top 5 Machines, complete with honest, unbiased reviews of each one. You’ll be sure to find what you’re looking for, from hand-crank ones made it Italy to some of the newer, automatic machines where you just have to add the ingredients and then press a button. Yes, they really are this easy!
Pasta FAQs
Here are some of the most common questions you may want to know about pasta, noodles and gnocchi.
What is Considered Pasta?
Pasta is considered to be pasta if it’s a shaped dough made from Durum wheat and can be boiled in water. It comes in various shapes and sizes and one of most loved kinds is spaghetti. These days, “pasta” comes from any starchy material like rice, beans, or other kinds of non-wheat flours.
How Many Types of Pasta are There?
There are more than 400 pasta in the world that come in both fresh and dried varieties. You can get it in sheets, twists, strips, long strands, cylinders, stuffed or with unique shapes. Some is flavoured whiles others are not. There are local varieties for various regions in Italy too. So many long thin ones, ones shaped like little ears, tube-shaped pasta and more.

Different kinds of pasta
Do Different Kinds of Pasta Taste Different?
Different pasta shapes taste the same. However, there are some pastas that are flavoured with things like spinach, sun dried tomatoes, or squid ink which may affect the taste slightly. Certain ones are a natural fit for certain sauces (fettuccine alfredo!) so this can have an impact on the overall taste of the dish.
Why So Many Kinds of Pasta?
Why are there 350 kinds of pasta? It seems like a lot! It’s mostly because a certain type of pasta serves a different purpose, and matches very well with a certain kind of sauce.
For example, spaghetti with tomato or meat sauce is an obvious one. Or, fettuccine with Alfredo is a match made in heaven! Angel hair works well with thin, light sauces. What’s macaroni without a cheese sauce? Rotini for pasta salad? And, of course, we could go on and on!
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What is the Difference Between Pasta and Noodles?
Noodles and pasta are different in terms of their ingredients and the type of processing. Noodles are made will regular wheat flour while pasta is made from Durum Seminola which is coarser. Many of them are made these days from non-wheat flour and gluten free flour so the difference is less cut and dried than it once was.
Is Gnocchi Pasta or Potato?
Pasta is usually made from wheat flour with egg and water. Gnocchi’s primary ingredient is potato which means that it’s technically a dumpling, although both are boiled in water for cooking. You can commonly find both pasta and gnocchi in all good Italian restaurant. Which one is better? It’s strictly a personal preference.

Is Gnocchi pasta or potato?
Can You Mix Pasta Types?
If you have half a box of one and half a box of another pasta type, it may be possible to mix them for a bit of twist. However, this is only recommended for pastas that are similar in shape and thickness. Otherwise, one pasta will be al dente while the other will be mushy. Check the box recommendations for cooking times as a guide for the perfect match.
How to Make Different Types of Pasta?
If you want to make your own pasta, it’s easy to make various types. You can vary your pasta in the following ways: ingredients used (spinach, sun dried tomatoes, etc.), thickness, and shapes. Flat noodles are the easiest but you can also make things like shells and tubes by using a pasta extruder of some kind. Or, add filling to squares for ravioli or other different stuffed pasta types.
How Many Kinds of Pasta Sauce are There?
There are more than 50 different pasta sauces, but some of the most popular ones include marina, brown butter, bolognese (meat), alfredo (cream), pesto (basil), olive oil and garlic, and cheese sauces. The best is a matter of personal preference but some pasta match well with certain sauces (spaghetti and meat sauce, or Fettuccine Alfredo). Some of them are a perfect match! Try out different recipes to find the perfect one for you.

Different Kinds of Pasta Sauces
What Type of Vegetables Can Substitute for Pasta?
If you want to make your “pasta” experience a little bit healthier with a bit of twist, you can substitute the following vegetables:
- Spaghetti squash (roast and peel off “noodles”)
- Zucchini noodles (aka zoodles) made with a spiralizer
- Lasagna made with eggplant instead of pasta noodles
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
You’ll also want to pair these veggies with tomato sauce for a healthier lunch or dinner! Look up some recipes online for ideas.

Kinds of vegetables to substitute for pasta
What Pasta Noodles are the Best?
The best noodles are really a matter of personal preference. Some people prefer long flat noodles, while others prefer shells or tubes. Finally, some people prefer lasagna while others like stuffed pastas like ravioli. Of course, pairing the correct sauce and pasta together is an important consideration for the best experience. Some are far more versatile than others.
What Types of Pasta are Healthy?
The healthiest “pastas” are those that are made from vegetables like squash or zucchini. After that, consider the whole wheat pastas that have more fiber than regular ones. Finally, consider some of the alternative pastas not made from wheat (Quinoa, beans, etc.) because they usually have more fiber, nutrients and vitamins. Then be sure to use a tomato sauce instead of a cream or meat one.
What Kinds of Pasta are Gluten Free?
There are now more types of gluten free pasta than ever. Some of the most popular kinds include the following pasta kinds:
- Quinoa
- Brown rice
- Those made from gluten-free wheat flour
- Corn
- Chickpea
They are shaped like most of your favourite pastas.

Various kinds of gluten-free pasta
What Cheese to Put on Pasta?
The kind of cheese to put on pasta depends on the type. Mozzarella and ricotta are fresh cheeses that are used for stuffed or baked pasta. Pecorino Romano, Ricotta Salata, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Grana Padano are often grated on pasta for extra flavor. Ricotta Forte is often diluted with a little bit of sauce and then added to pasta. For pesto, Italians often mix cream cheese in with it. Pasta is versatile and the choice of whether or not to add cheese is yours!

Kinds of cheese to put on pasta
Should I Boil Pasta in Oil?
You may wish to boil your pasta with a splash of olive oil. This will help to prevent sticking. Also be sure to put in a dash of salt for better flavour.
Have your say about the Most Popular Pastas
What is your favourite kind of pasta to cook at home, or eat in a restaurant? Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you.
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Last update on 2021-04-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API