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Prepping Pasta

Salting the Water

Salting pasta can seem like a simple thing to do but is a crucial part to making or breaking your pasta dish. If you add too much salt you risk oversalting your dish but if you under salt, you are at risk of losing key flavors. General rule of thumb is to add about 2 teaspoons of salt per quart of water.

Cooking Pasta

When cooking pasta, there is no set time. Each pasta cooks at a different time and fresh pasta cooks faster than dried. Make sure you have a pot big enough so the pasta can flow freely while being cooked. When draining your pasta, keep some of the pasta water saved to the side so you can moisten your pasta if needed later on.


Anna Pasta

Pasta, Pasta, Pasta

When it comes to pasta, every cut is meant for a different purpose. Whether you are using it as a main dish or as a side in a soup or salad, each holds sauce differently. We've developed a guide which explains what kind of pasta pairs best with what kind of sauce.



Sauce Can Make All The Difference

Pasta sauce comes in a variety of thickness each for a different purpose. Most sauces can be broken down into just a few categories.

  • Thick Sauces
  • Thin Sauces
  • Hearty Sauces
  • Creamy Sauces
  • Meaty Sauces




Maurizio Artisan Pasta

Top 8 Pasta Cuts You Need to Know

Long Cut


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Long Cut

Pairs great with: Thin Sauces

Long pasta is perfect for thin sauces, the long thin cuts of pasta make it perfect for any quick and delicious meal. Think of spaghetti and linguine, this group goes well with tomato sauce and basil. Most common long pastas are bucatini, capelli d'angelo, fettuccine, linguine, linguine fini, spaghetti, spaghettini, and perciatelli.

Ribbons


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Ribbons

Pairs great with: Meat & Heavy Sauces

Wide ribbon shaped pasta cuts go perfect with meaty, heavy sauces. This cut holds the flavor of the sauces very well. Most common ribbon pastas are casarecce, fazzoletti, lasagne, mafaldine, pappardelle, pizzocheri, reginette, and tagliatelle.

Shells


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Shells

Pairs great with: Creamy & Thick Sauces

Shell pasta gets its name from its seashell shape. They are perfect for heavier sauces and are commonly found in baked dishes. Most common shell pastas are baby shells, conchiglie, gnocchi shells, jumbo shells, and shells.

Mini + Soup Cuts


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Mini + Soup Cuts

Pairs great with: Hearty & Thin Sauces

Mini pasta is also known as 'soup pasta' and is great for hot dishes. They are perfect to add to soups to give them a nice flavor and the right consistency. Most common soup and mini pastas are acini di pepe, anellini, ditali, farfalline, orzo, pastina, siciliani, and tubetti.

Stuffed


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Stuffed

Pairs great with: Creamy & Thick Sauces

Stuffed pasta is dough that is formed to have fillings or no fillings. Most can be filled with meats, vegetables, fish, cheese, or even fruits. Most common stuffed pastas are agnolotti, canederli, cappelletti, gnocchi, gnudi, malfatti, pansotti, and ravioli.

Spiral Cuts


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Spiral Cuts

Pairs great with: Thin Sauces

Spiral pasta is pasta with a twist. The corkscrew spiral pasta makes it perfect for locking in flavor and is great for baked and salad pasta dishes. Most common spiraled pastas are busiati, fusilli, fusilli corti col buco, gemelli, rotini, and spaccatelle.

Tubular Cuts


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Tubular Cuts

Pairs great with: Heavy Sauces

Tubular pasta is any pasta that is shaped in a tube. They can come in any shape and size as long as they have a hollow center. Most common tubed pastas are calamari, cavatappi, elbows, elicoidali, manicotti, penne, rigatoni, and ziti.

Unique Shapes


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Unique Shapes

Pairs great with: Thin Sauces

Pasta can come in all shapes and sizes. The pasta shapes that don't fit the standard shape criteria, fall into the 'unique shapes' category. These shapes can be used to make a fun dinner for the family with shapes like wheels, bowties, and twists. Most common shaped pastas are casarecce, corzetto, farfalle, orecchiette, linguine, radiatori, rotelle, trofie, and torchio.