Pairing pasta with sauces may seem quite simple but it’s important to consider the type of dish you want to create when choosing the right sauce for your pasta. For instance, if you want to work a thick ragù into your dish, you’ll want to use a thicker pasta such as tagliatelle or pappardelle. Fettuccine goes perfectly with alfredo sauce or any type of white sauce. Let’s take a look below at some pastas that pair perfectly with various sauces.
Thin Pasta & Seafood Sauces
Long and thin pasta such as spaghetti, linguine, fusilli, lunghi, and vermicelli go well with light seafood sauces that are either cream or oil-based. If you plan on serving a dish with a light white sauce and shrimp, these pastas work wonders.
Long Ribbon Pasta & Meat Sauces
Long ribbon pasta like tagliatelle, pappardelle, fettuccine, and mafadine go fantastic with rich, meaty sauces. Meat sauces are very thick, so unexpectedly, they go well with longer, thicker pasta. Fettuccine is really nice with meat sauces as they are a long, thick pasta that can trap in the good flavors and chunkiness of the sauce.
Shells & Tomato Sauce
Shells such as lumache are large and perfect for fillings. These are usually filled with meat sauces or ricotta cheese, creating the traditional “stuffed shells” dish. Smaller shells are ideally used for cold pasta dishes or added to soup while medium shells are used in casseroles with meat sauces. Regardless of the size of the shells, there are plenty of dishes you can use to utilize this type of pasta.
Ravioli & Meat Sauce
Raviolis are complimented by a variety of sauces whether it’s meat sauce or olive oil. Traditionally, ravioli is stuffed with cheese and topped with a tomato or meat sauce. However, if you’re seeking a lighter dish, top some olive oil on the ravioli instead.
Penne & Vegetable Sauce
Tube pastas such as penne, rigatoni and macaroni are complemented by vegetable sauces. These types of pastas can be worked into a casserole or drizzled with a thick tomato sauce. Cheese sauces are best with macaroni but they are also great with rigatoni.
Enjoy Pasta at Trattoria Il Panino
At Trattoria Il Panino we offer the best pasta in Boston’s North End. Some of our most popular dishes include Ziti al Pomodoro which comes with San Marzano tomatoes & basil. If you’re looking for a spicier dish, opt for our Penne Arrabbiata with spicy tomato sauce, basil & parmigiano. For seafood lovers, we highly recommend the Ravioli con Aragasto which is a delicious lobster ravioli with crab meat sauce.