WHICH PASTA TO BUY FOR WHICH SAUCE?

Lighter sauces are best suited to thinner more delicate pasta shapes

When matching pasta and sauce, a general guide is that lighter sauces are best suited to thinner more delicate pasta shapes (such as capellini, spaghetti or linguine). Chunky, heavier sauces are best served with bigger, thicker shapes whether short (like rigatoni or penne) or long and wide (like pappardelle or mafaldine) that collect more sauce in their grooves or ridges. Stuffed pastas like ravioli or tortellini work with a simple butter or broth as they’re already filled with flavour. Tiny shapes like stellini are designed for soup as they’d get lost in a sauce.