Fun Pasta Shapes for Parties
- What Are the Four different pasta shapes called?
- 25 Common Pasta Types
- Fun Pasta Shapes for Parties
- How Many Types of Pasta are there?
- About Dagostino Pasta
What Are the Four different pasta shapes called?
There are four different pasta shape types, they are: rod pasta, ribbon pasta, short pastas, and specialty pastas.
Rod pastas are the shapes and types that are the most common. Examples of rod pasta shapes are angel hair, spaghetti and vermicelli. This pasta shape is the most common type used for most pasta recipes.
Ribbon shaped pastas can also be very common. Ribbon shaped pastas are usually flat, and sauces stick very well to them. Examples of ribbon types are Lasagna, Fettuccine, and Linguine.
Short pastas are pastas that are cut short and most of the time are tube shaped. Short tube shaped pasta like Penne or Macaroni are great for capturing meat sauces!
Specialty shaped types of pastas are the most uncommon. Some pasta companies invent their own shapes, like the Dagostino Louisiana shaped pastas.
25 Common Pasta Types
Here’s a list of the most common types of Italian pastas you can probably find at your local grocery store:
- Spaghetti
- Fettuccine
- Angel Hair
- Linguine
- Bucatini
- Lasagna
- Elbow Macaroni
- Penne
- Shell
- Rotini
- Farfalle (or bow tie pasta)
- Orecchiette
- Pastina
- Rigatoni
- Ziti
- Ditalini
- Mafaldine
- Orzo
- Pappardelle
- Vermicelli
- Gemelli
- Tortellini
- Ravioli
- Gnocchi
- Manicotti
Fun Pasta Shapes for Parties
Some of the best types of pastas for parties are the types of pastas you can stuff with cheese and bake! For these types of dishes, we would recommend pastas like Ziti, Manicotti, Lasagna or Mafaldine. While Lasagna and Mafaldine cannot be stuffed with cheese, their ruffled edge makes them great for layering with a thicker sauce.
Other types of pasta dishes perfect for parties are unique shapes like rotini or Dagostino’s Louisiana shapes. These shapes are great for pasta salad, or tossed with light sauces and olive oil. Our Louisiana shapes make special occasions and big feasts even more fun. Alligator shaped pasta is great when serving alligator sausage, a common dish in Louisiana.
Our Fleur De Lis shaped pasta is perfect for a “Naturally New Orleans” vibe or even for Saints games.
Our Crawfish shaped pasta is going to compliment your next crawfish boil so nicely, or you can even make a crawfish Monica dish with it.
All of our shaped pastas pair well with any types of sauces, but we recommend our slow cooked tomato sauce.
How many types of pasta are there?
Counting every single type of pasta in the world is almost limitless. There’s about 50 distinct types but countless ways to sort them. The main ways are differentiating pasta by their shape and differentiating pasta by ingredients.
The way Dagostino pasta gets their distinct shape and texture is by being extruded, or cut, through bronze dies. The advantage to using a bronze die is that it produces a rougher texture on the surface of the pasta as cut. When the pasta has a rougher surface texture, it holds onto the sauce better. Of course, hand cut pasta is cut by hand with a knife or with a hand cranked pasta maker.
Our pasta is always made with pure Semolina flour, but some pasta types are made with other flours like buckwheat or even a dried vegetable blend. When you think of all the ways pastas can be made, there’s probably thousands of types in total, the possibilities are really limitless.
About Dagostino Pasta
From Lemons to Premium Pasta
Our story started with lemon farmers in Sicily. In the early 19th century lemons would go on long voyages from Sicily to New Orleans, usually taking around 100 days. These Sicilians would create settlements in New Orleans and with them came pasta.
The Fresina Family, our founders, were some of these original lemon farmers and started creating handmade pasta in New Orleans in 1926. Since then, the D’Agostino and Hayward families have continued their tradition of creating premium handmade pasta using pure semolina flour and water then cutting the pasta through bronze dies and air-drying in wooden cellars.
Our pasta is still made the old-fashioned way, in our pasta factory, using the “delicate” method developed centuries ago. Small quantities of pasta are extruded through bronze, carefully looped over wooden rods, straightened, and then air-dried in wooden cellars. Celebrated for its delicate texture and classic flavor, our pasta is handmade, all-natural, and preservative free, producing the best tasting pasta available on the market today.
Our sauces are some of the most authentic sauces available outside of Italy. The sauces are handmade in small batches with a unique blend of fresh herbs and spices. Made without preservatives, each batch is carefully examined by our chefs and food scientists to ensure our sauces are the best tasting on the market.
You will experience our time honored family treasure in every meal.
Check out some of our pasta recipes here for weeknight dinner inspiration.