How Well Do You Know Your Pasta? Learn All About Different Types of Pasta, and There are More That You Imagine! Recipes Included (2019)

Pasta - a word familiar to all and is one of the most talked-about cuisines, by the people of all ages! It is a staple food which goes with most Italian dishes. Pasta is prepared from an unleavened dough of durum wheat flour either mixed with water or eggs. There are so many formations of pasta which we’re sure you didn’t know about unless you are only a regular consumer of this Italian cuisine. It can be served in many ways, like in soup, in the form of salad, with sauces and obviously can be cooked with veggies. Pasta comes in an exhilarating number of shapes and sizes and is a delight for a dish of all those people who love cooking.

There are approximately 300+ forms of pasta known by over 1300 documented names. For example, a particular pasta would be known by several other names depending on the region. Pasta is best served with types of sauces like Amatriciana Sauce, Genovese Sauce, Checca Sauce, Ragu, Carbonara and many more. There are a lot of these sauces available, and many of them can be prepared at home only. Each type of pasta has its own significance, either in terms of the capacity of holding the sauces or getting along with the liquids. It all depends on the shape that they are having. For instance, the kind of pasta with a hollow shape can hold the sauces much better. This Italian delicacy is so popular globally that we even have a World Pasta Day, which is celebrated on 25th October every year. The first ever mention of pasta dates back to as long as 1154! Without further ado, let’s jump to the types of pasta available out there for you to try.

Pasta is broadly divided into two main types, i.e., Dried Pasta and Fresh Pasta.

Dried pasta, often known as pasta secca is the one that is made of semolina flour, salt, and water. Eggs can be added for flavours but aren’t really required at all. Dried pasta best serves the purpose of shipping it to distant places as this can be stored at room temperature only. As observed, dried pasta can hold and goes well with the heaviest sauces having the thickest of textures. It has been seen that dried pasta when cooked, puffs up and it almost seems like you’re having double the meal of what you actually expected.

Fresh Pasta formerly known as Pasta Fresca is made up of Semolina Flour, water, eggs and salt. Due to the presence of eggs, the texture of fresh pasta is softer in comparison to the dried pasta. Also, it takes half the time to cook this compared to fresh pasta. It goes well with light sauces. Due to its texture, there is no increase in its quantity after being cooked, unlike the dried one. The most popular variety in this category includes penne, spaghetti, and macaroni.

You would be astonished after getting to know about the numerous varieties of pasta out there. These varieties are defined based on the size of pasta. The 6 defined types of pasta are:

It’s a strand or ribbon-like pasta that is formed by the process of extrusion. Under this variety, lies a vast range of pasta. Some of the most popular ones include:

Spaghetti: The type is shaped like noodles, i.e., having a shape of long thin cylindrical strands.

Fettuccine: This one is a ribbon-like pasta, which is flat and thick, having a width of around 6.5 mm.

Capellini: Found in a shape of the long cylindrical strand, capellini is a very thin variety which is usually coiled up into the nest-like structure. The diameter of the strands of capellini generally lies between 0.85 to 0.92 mm.

Lasagna: This one is one of the oldest types of pasta and is wide and flat in shape. It’s made up by forming a stacked layer complemented with other ingredients like meat, sauces and a topping of cheese. It can be found in its different versions, namely Lasagnette & Lasagnette.

As defined by its name only, it’s the one that is cut into small pieces in different kind of shapes. Macaroni is the most famous type of pasta under this category. Some of the favorite short cut pasta are:

Farfalle: It comes in the form of a cute butterfly, or you could say it resembles a bowtie. This uniquely shaped pasta needs to be cooked very carefully because of its delicate nature. It’s also known as strichetti.

Fiori: It is a beautiful decorative kind of pasta with a flower-like shape.

Fusilli: This one is slightly longer and thicker shaped pasta that looks like a corkscrew. This can be either solid or hollow.. The hollow fusilli is known as Fusilli Bucati.

Filled with different kinds of stuffings, stuffed pasta strips are one delectable delight to eat! Ravioli, which you may be pretty familiar with, comes under this category only. Some of the stuffed pasta include:

Agnolotti: They’re like little square pockets filled with a mixture of cheese and are generally referred to as ricotta. They’re formed with pieces of flattened pasta, covering a filling of roasted meat.

Tortelli: Tortelli is prepared in many shapes such as square, semi-circular, or a triangle. It consists of a mixture of meat and herbs and is best served with butter and herbs.

Tortelloni: These are ring-shaped or sometimes called as naval shaped, generally contains a filling of ricotta cheese along with leafy vegetables.

As the name suggests, it's the flattened pasta. The main types of stretched pasta are –

Orecchiette: This one is a prevalent delicacy in Southern Italy. The shape of this particular type resembles an ear, though smaller in size. In this fresh pasta, unlike others, eggs are rarely used.

Corzetti: A special kind of pasta that is small and thin in round shape, which is given an embossed decoration with the help of a wooden hand tool, thus resulting in holding its sauce in a better way. It contains patterns on both sides.

There are some small pasta from the family of pastina that can hold up liquids really well. Miniature in shape, generally like corn. The major types that can be found around the world in this category are:

Pastina: Although it’s a name for an entire family of miniature pasta, still pastina itself is a part of this family. It’s a small spherical shaped pasta that goes well with the soupy textures.

Stelle: These are smaller pastina but differ in shape as they are shaped like stars. Stelle is a plural form of an Italian word Stella that means a star. A much-favoured delicacy among kids because of its unique shape in the form of a star.

Filini: Filini are small threads like structure that are best for light liquids. These are usually 12-15 mm long before cooking. Also, it comes with a very delicate texture.

Gnocchi are small and soft dumplings made of cheese, potato, semolina/regular flour. Gnocchi looks like Pasta and is considered as a replacement for pasta. Like others, gnocchi too has variations in recipes and names across different regions. It is mainly eaten as the first-course meal.

Cook Time: 30-40 minutes | Serving: 3

Ingredients:
Penne Pasta – 1 cup
Cheddar Cheese – ¼ Cup
Vegetarian Parmesan Cheese – ½ Cup
Butter
Water
Milk – 2 Cups
Salt, Black Pepper
Finely chopped Garlic
Parsley
Finely chopped vegetables of choice (Green/Red/yellow Bell Pepper, Carrots, Mushroom, Broccoli, Peas, Sweet Corn)

Method:
1. Boil 4 cups of water in a pan and add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 cup penne pasta to it. Cook till pasta is no longer raw. Drain water and put pasta aside. Sauté garlic using butter, then add finely chopped vegetables along with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Sauté the vegetables till cooked.
2. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and mix well.
3. Add Milk along with Cheese and stir well.
4. Add parsley, black pepper, salt if required.
5. Serve Alfredo Sauce Pasta hot, garnished with fresh parsley and some grated parmesan cheese.

Tip:
Remember, cheese itself contains some amount of salt. So make sure not to add too much of salt while cooking.

Cook time- 25-30 minutes | Servings- 2

Ingredients:
Penne Pasta -1 Cup
Water to boil
Salt
Butter
Finely chopped onion, garlic and ginger.
Tomato Pulp – 1 Cup
Finely Chopped Vegetables
Turmeric, Salt, Garam Masala, Black Pepper, Red Chilli Powder
Herbs, Oregano, Basil, Parsley

Method:
1. Sauté garlic, ginger and onion using butter.
2. Add tomato pulp to it and stir well till the pulp thickens.
3. Add turmeric, salt, chilli powder, garam masala and black pepper to it as per required.
4. Add water with the finely chopped vegetables and mix well.
5. Cook the Pasta and serve hot with sprinkled herbs, oregano and garnished with parsley.

Tip:
Red or white wine can be used to add fruity flavour and additional richness to the tomato sauce.

Cook Time- 30-40 minutes | Serving - 2 to 3

Ingredients:
Pasta or spaghetti - 1 Cup
Shredded or Cubed Boneless Chicken – 200 grams
Butter or Olive Oil
Finely chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic and ginger.
Finely Chopped Vegetables
Salt, Black Pepper, Red Chilli Powder, Oregano, Herbs, Parsley

Method:
1. Boil the pasta in a pan.
2. Sauté garlic, onion and ginger in a pan with butter and add chicken to it and let it cook.
3. Add salt, black pepper and other desired spices to it.
4. Add tomatoes and desired vegetables and mix well with constant stirring till it is all cooked.
5. Add the boiled pasta to it and serve hot.

Tip:
Sprinkle Pasta Seasoning over the cooked pasta for more tasteful experience.

Cook Time - 40 minutes (+1 to 2 hours of marinating chicken) | Serving- 3 to 4

Ingredients:
Boneless Chicken - 250 to 300 grams
Salt, Black Pepper, Red Chilli Powder, Lemon Juice
Lasagna Sheets - 10
Mozzarella Cheese - 1 Cup
Vegetarian Parmesan Cheese – ½ Cup
Tomato Sauce - 1 cup
Chopped Parsley Leaves

Method:
1. Take boneless chicken in a cooking bowl and add black pepper powder, lemon juice, red chilli powder and salt to it.
2. Mix well and let the chicken marinate for 1 to 2 hours.
3. Take butter or olive oil to the pan and sauté marinated chicken pieces until cooked well.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
5. Grease the baking utensil with butter well.
6. Put cooked lasagne sheet.
7. Add tomato sauce to it along with shredded cheese and layer chicken pieces on top of it.
8. Sprinkle freshly chopped parsley and other herbs on top.
9. Put the next layer of lasagne sheet and repeat the process till the top sheet.
10. Bake the lasagne pasta in the oven for around 10 minutes.
11. Take out the cooked lasagne from the oven and garnish it as desired with parsley leaves, herbs and oregano and serve hot.

Tip:
Make sure the baking vessel is properly greased with oil to avoid the sticking of lasagne to the base.

Cook Time - 1 hour | Servings - 3 to 4

Ingredients:
All-purpose flour (Maida) – 2 cups
Salt
Eggs – 3
Olive Oil
Ravioli filling of your choice (Paneer, Mushroom, Spinach, Beetroot, Sprouts, etc.)

Method:
1. Whisk all-purpose flour or Maida with salt in a cooking bowl.
2. Add egg to the floor and mix well.
3. Add olive oil and knead the dough for a few minutes until ready.
4. Take a part of dough and form into a ball. Use a rolling pin or run it through a pasta machine to obtain a thin sheet.
5. Use a cutter or a glass or bowl to cut out circles from the sheet.
6. Take 1 tablespoon shredded paneer and spinach or the filling of your choice and put it over the circle.
7. Place the second circle on top of the filling and use a fork to close the edges.
8, Make all the raviolis with the dough and boil them in water with a pinch of salt in it.
9. Your Raviolis are ready to serve with a sauce of your choice.

Tip:
When the ravioli begins to float in the water it indicates it has now been well cooked.