Pasta is dough shaped into many different forms. Italy has hundreds of shapes, but the ones you see most in restaurants fall into 3 simple groups: long round pasta, long flat pasta and short pasta. Each shape holds sauce differently, so matching the shape to the sauce can make the same dish noticeably better.

GroupShapeWhat it's like
Long roundSpaghettiMedium round strands that work with almost any sauce
CapelliniVery thin round strands that cook quickly
LinguineSlightly flattened, between round and flat
Long flatFettuccineFlat ribbons about half a centimetre wide
TagliatelleFlat ribbons like fettuccine, popular in northern Italy
PappardelleThe widest flat ribbons in the group
ShortPenneShort tubes cut at an angle
RigatoniLarge ridged tubes
FusilliCorkscrew spirals
FarfalleBow-tie or butterfly shapes
Penne Bolognese at Coco Chaophraya

How to Pair Pasta Shapes with Sauces

PastaSauces that suit itWhy
CapelliniOlive oil, garlic, light saucesThe strands are very thin; a heavy sauce drowns them
Spaghetti / linguineTomato, carbonara, seafoodMedium strands that the sauce coats evenly
Fettuccine / tagliatelleCream sauces, meat saucesThe wide surface holds thick sauces well
Penne / rigatoniBolognese, tomato sauce with sausagePieces of meat and sauce get inside the tubes
Fusilli / farfallePesto, pasta saladsGrooves and folds trap the sauce

These aren't strict rules; Italians themselves have family recipes that pair things differently. But starting from these principles gives you a much better chance of a pasta where the sauce clings just right. Cooking times vary with thickness and brand, and thinner pasta cooks faster. Follow the time on the packet and taste before draining, so the pasta still has a slight bite in the middle, what Italians call al dente.

Fettuccine with prawns in cream sauce at Coco Chaophraya

Which Pasta Shapes Does Coco Chaophraya Use?

Coco Chaophraya uses 4 shapes, paired with sauces following the same principles as the table above.

  • Spaghetti — spaghetti carbonara, seafood spaghetti in tomato sauce, squid ink spaghetti in squid ink sauce
  • Penne — penne Bolognese, penne with Italian sausage in tomato sauce, seafood penne with pesto
  • Fettuccine — fettuccine with prawns in cream sauce, salmon fettuccine, fettuccine with Italian sausage in truffle cream sauce
  • Capellini — capellini stir-fried with holy basil and grilled beef, capellini with crab meat and dried chilli, capellini with scallops

We're at 49/1 Phra Sumen Road, behind Baan Chao Phraya, right on the Chao Phraya River, open every day 10:00–23:00. Read about our capellini with holy basil in Capellini with holy basil and grilled beef (in Thai).

Seafood spaghetti in tomato sauce at Coco Chaophraya

How to Cook Pasta Like a Restaurant

  1. Use plenty of water — the pasta won't stick and the water keeps boiling when you add it
  2. Salt the water — the pasta gets its own flavour and won't taste bland with the sauce
  3. Save half a cup of pasta water — it contains starch; adding it to the sauce makes it silky and helps it cling
  4. Toss the pasta with the sauce in the pan — a moment over the heat lets the sauce soak in far better than spooning it on top

About us: Coco Chaophraya has been open for more than 10 years. We started at the front of Baan Chao Phraya before moving to the Chao Phraya riverside. Our chefs have more than 10 years of experience, and our professional baristas have more than 10 years of experience making coffee.

Summary: How Many Types of Pasta Are There?

  • 3 main groups: long round, long flat and short pasta
  • Thin pasta → light sauce · flat pasta → cream sauce · short tube pasta → chunky sauce
  • Cook it al dente, following the time on the packet