| Matching Pasta to Sauce |
| Shaped Pasta |
| Examples: | Conchiglie, farfalle, fusilli, gemelli, gnocchetti, gramigna, lumache, lumaconi, orecchiette, radiatori, route, rotini, and trenne |
| Sauce: | Thick tomato sauces, meat sauces, chunky sauces, and cheese sauces |
| Tubular Pasta |
| Examples: | Canneroni, cannolicchi, cavatappi, garganelli, macaroni, maccheroncelli, manicotti, paccheri, penne, rigatoni, tortiglioni, and ziti |
| Sauce: | Thick tomato sauces, meat sauces, chunky sauces, and thick cream sauces |
| Strand Pasta |
| Examples: | Angel hair, capellini, chitarra, fedelini, spaghetti, and vermicelli |
| Sauce: | Light tomato sauces, butter based sauces, light oil based sauces, and light cream based sauces. |
| Ribbon Pasta |
| Examples: | Fettuccine, lasagne, linguine, pappardelle, riginette, tagliatelle, and trenette |
| Sauce: | For the wider dried pastas - meat sauces, thick tomato sauces, and thick cream sauces. For narrow or fresh pastas - Light tomato sauces, butter based sauces, light oil based sauces, and light cream based sauces. |
| Soup Pasta |
| Examples: | Acini di pepe, alphabets, anellini, conchigliette, ditali, farfalline, orzo, pastine, risi, stele, stortini, and tubetti |
| Sauce: | Light sauces, mainly used in broth or soups with a light base. |
| Stuffed Pasta |
| Examples: | Agnolotti, pansotti, ravioli, tortelli, and tortellini |
| Sauce: | Light tomato sauce, light cream based sauce, and broth |
| Asian Noodles |
| Examples: | Asian wheat noodles, Chinese egg noodles, Asian rice noodles, cellophane noodles, cornstarch noodles, seaweed noodles, and soba noodles |
| Sauce: | Generally not eaten with a sauce. Used in stir-fries, soups and salads. |
