Matching Sauces to Pasta Types

Appears in

By Antonio Carluccio and Priscilla Carluccio

Published 1997

About

Although the combinations are almost limitless, the following are some good guidelines on how best to optimize the effect on the palate and the digestion.

Thin egg ribbons, like tagliolini, are mostly served with truffles, butter and Parmesan, or light fresh tomato sauces.
Thicker ribbons, like tagliatelle, are good with sauces of tomato, mushroom, cheese, cream, ham and fish, and with Bolognese.
Long flat dried pasta, like trenette or linguine, best suit pesto and sauces of tomato, meat and fish.
Long pastas like spaghetti, lasagnette and festoni are best with tomato-based ragùs and for use in timbales and pasticcios.
Tubes, both long and short, like rigatoni, are made for long-cooked tomato and other ragùs.
Short shapes of pure semolina pasta, like cavatelli and orechiette, are very good with vegetable sauces like those using broccoli, cauliflower, chicory, artichoke, etc., and seafood sauces.
Stuffed pastas, like ravioli and tortellini, need only simple sauces like the juices from a roast or butter and sage, or a light tomato sauce.

Part of

Pasta