Top 5 Pasta Shapes

I eat a lot of Pasta, very regularly, it’s one of my favourite things to eat, and one of my favourite things to cook. Many of my favourite dishes involve pasta, including Bolognaise/Bolognese which I eat with pasta rather than Spaghetti. My favourite food is my Mam’s own Lasagne, and while the Lasagne is commonly referred to as Pasta, I don’t necessarily see it as Pasta myself, (but never mind, it is my favourite thing to eat).

Anyway, whilst out in town today; I remembered something a friend asked/suggested back in 2009, and thought I would do a post on my favourite Pasta Shapes. I am keeping Lasagne out as like I said I don’t see it primarily as a pasta dish in the same light as other Pasta dishes. This post I hope reflects what my favourite Pasta shape is and why, and is not necessarily a guide to particular recipes, if you have any recipes that go well with these shapes, please feel free to share them in the comments section. So yeah; here are my Top 5 Pasta Shapes.

5. Tortellini – Despite being in my Top 5; Tortellini is something I don’t get to eat very often. In a similar style to Raviolli, Tortellini is pasta with a stuffing inside them, usually being in the form of a meat, cheese, other, or all three. They are fun things to have and are a little more surprising than Ravioli, plus their shape is in a nice style, with a little unique twist; almost like pasta snowflakes.

4. Tagliatelle – Tagliatelle is like spaghetti, just thicker and flatter. The combination of the two varying colours creates options for colour and variety in a pasta dish, plus in a bonus over Spaghetti, their size leaves room for you to both taste more and savour them more.

3. Tricolore – When I was young, and you were served pasta in three different colours; it was always a special moment. Again, this is one I have not had in a long time, but there is still something fun about eating Pasta that just stood out a little more thanks to a diverse colour range. In many cases it didn’t matter what the shape of it was (Penne or Fusilli for the sake of the list); the colour was more than enough; even if the pasta was just totally plain.

2. Fusilli – Fusilli is a pasta variety that I purchase a lot of, mainly for the reason that my number one favourite shape of Pasta may not be available for purchase. Either way though it’s spiral shapes make it stand out a little more than Penne which after a while can look and feel a little plain. It’s a nice and exciting shape which just blends seamlessly into almost any pasta dish.

1. Farfalle – In many ways I still think of and call these Butterflies; from a young age till now, there is just something fun and enjoyable about Farfalle. It’s a more complicated shape in comparison to other shapes of pasta, yet, their flat state and amazing look instantly grabs you and wants you to eat them (like the dish of the day). Their size also allows savouring as there is more to enjoy. On the whole though, it’s just a nice beautiful shape of Pasta.