ITALIAN PASTA SHAPES
By Dr. Myles H. Bader

• Anellini – Shaped like small rings.
• Bavettine – A narrow linguine.
• Bucantini – Hollow thin strands.
• Cannaroni – Very wide tubes.
• Cannelloni – Hollow tubes up to 2 inches long.
• Capellini - Angel hair, very thin strands.
• Capelveneri – Thin medium width noodles.
• Cappelletti – Shaped like small hats.
• Cavatappi – Short spiral macaroni shaped.
• Cavatelli - Short, shells with a rippled edge.
• Conchiglie – Shaped like a conch shell.
• Coralli – Tiny soup tubes.
• Cresti-di-gali – Looks like a roosters comb.
• Ditali – Shaped like small thimbles.
• Ditalini – Small thimble shapes.
• Farfalle – Shaped like a bowtie. The word means butterfly in Italian. Sold in two sizes, large and small.
• Fedelini – Very fine spaghetti.
• Fettucce – Flat egg noodles.
• Fideo – Very thin, coiled strands.
• Funghini – Pasta that are related to the mushroom family and are used in Italian soups and stews.
• Fusilli bucati – Corkscrew-shaped pasta.
• Gemelli – Two stands of spaghetti twisted together.
• Gnocchi – Very small rippled-edge stuffed shells.
• Lasagna – Very long, broad noodles.
• Linguine – Very narrow pasta ribbons.
• Lumache – Pasta shaped like snail shells.
• Macaroni – Curved pasta, comes in many sizes with a hollow center.
• Maccheroni – Italian for all types of macaroni.
• Mafalde – Ripple-edged flat, broad noodles.
• Magliette – Short, curved pasta tubes.
• Manicotti – Very large stuffed tubes.
• Margherite – Narrow, flat one-sided ripple edged noodles.
• Maruzze – Pasta shaped like sea, shells.
• Mezzani – Short: curved tubes.
• Mostaccioli – Tubes, about 2 inches long with a slight curve.
• Occhi-di-lupo – Very large tubes of pasta; sometimes referred to as “wolf’s eye.”
• Orcchiette – Pasta shaped like ears.
• Orzo – Pasta, the size and shape of rice.
• Pappardelle – Wide noodles with rippled sides.
• Pastina – A variety of pasta shapes used in soups.
• Penne – Tubes that are diagonally cut with ridged sides.
• Perciatelli – Thin, hollow tubes, about twice as thick as spaghetti.
• Pezzoccheri – Very thick buckwheat noodles.
• Pulcini – Used mainly in soups and called “little chickens.”
• Quadrettini – Very small pasta squares.
• Radiatore – Resemble small radiators.
• Ravioli – Small squares of pasta stuffed with different ingredients.
• Riccini – Pasta shaped like ringlet curls.
• Rigatoni – Very large, grooved shaped pasta.
• Riso – Another rice-shaped pasta
• Rotelli – Small “wagon wheel” shaped pasta.
• Rotini – Very small spiral-shaped pasta.
• Ruoti – Round pasta with spokes, looks like a wagon wheel.
• Semi de Melone – Small, melon seed-shaped pasta.
  
• Spaghetti – Very long: thin strands of pasta.
• Spaghettini – Very thin, spaghetti.
• Tagliarini – Pasta shaped like ribbons, usually paper-thin.Tagliatelle – Very long, flat egg noodles.
  
• Tortellini – Pasta that is supposed to resemble the Italian Roman Goddess Venus’ navel. “Little Twists.”
• Tripolini – Very small bow ties that have rounded edges.
• Tubetti – Very tiny hollow tubes.
• Vermicelli – Italian word for worms, which they resemble. Also known as spaghetti
• Ziti – A very short tubular-shaped pasta.