A Beginner’s Guide to Pasta – The Italian Way!

Pasta is a staple of Italian cuisine and one of the most versatile foods on the planet. Whether it’s spaghetti and meatballs, Bolognese, ravioli or gnocchi, there’s seemingly no end to the uses of pasta!

Best of all, it’s really simple to prepare too, making it a favourite with cooks of all ability levels.

We’re going to take a look at some of the many different types of pasta and offering up some tips and tricks to get it just right.

Varieties

• Agnolotti – Like a smaller version of ravioli, agnolotti are small packages, usually containing meat or vegetables and is typically found in the Piedmont region.
• Conchiglie – As the name suggests, this pasta is in the shape of a conch shell and it’s great in a sauce, as the sauce is captured in the shell.
• Farfalle – These little bows are popular with kids and are often seen in salads and soups.
• Fettuccine – A slightly wider version of tagliatelle, this thick pasta works well in a meat sauce.
• Fusilli – One of the most popular variations of pasta, fusilli are a small spiral pasta, seen in many popular dishes.
• Linguine – Literally translating to ‘little tongues’, linguine is like a flatter version of spaghetti and holds sauce slightly better.
• Macaroni – Dried, slightly curled tubes which are best known for their use in the American dish, macaroni and cheese.
• Orecchiette – Known as ‘little ears’, these small, curved pieces usually come with thick and chunky sauces.
• Pappardelle – Falling somewhere between lasagne and tagliatelle, pappardelle is usually served with a heavy meat sauce.
• Penne – Another very popular variation, penne is very easy to eat, with medium sized tubes cut off diagonally at either end.
• Ravioli – These small squares are usually filled with vegetables or meat.
• Rigatoni – Large, ribbed tubes which capture chunky meat sauces.
• Spaghetti – Probably the most popular shape of pasta available, spaghetti are long round straws which are used in dishes such as carbonara and Bolognese.
• Tagliatelle – These ribbon-like strands are commonly used in many meat dishes.
• Tortellini – Shaped like a ring, tortellini is stuffed with either meat, cheese or vegetables and served in a sauce.
• Vermicelli – Known as ‘little worms’, vermicelli is a very thin strand which is usually used in lighter sauces.

How to Cook

While cooking pasta may seem simple, there’s actually a lot more to it than you might think. The team here at Bella Cosa have put together some tips for their method for cooking pasta the Italian way,

1.Fill a large saucepan with about 1 litre of water for every 100g of pasta you’re using and use about 10g of salt for every litre of water.
2.Boil the water first, then add the pasta and simmer uncovered.
3.Drain when cooked to the desired level but save some water in case it’s needed for your sauce.
4.Mix the sauce in until the pasta is evenly coated rather than spooning on top.
5.The pasta should soak up all of the sauce with very little left over.

Now that you know how it’s done, check out the pasta recipes at BBC Good Food for some inspiration on where to get started.

Want to try out some of our favourite recipes for inspiration? Take a look at our menu and book a table so we can introduce you to authentic Italian cooking.