Best pasta shape?

[WhoWants2Know]

A man stopped me in the supermarket to ask what was the best pasta shape. (He said he hated pasta from taste testing it for years but was cooking for someone else)

I said Spirali, my oldest says penne.

If you had to choose one shape, which is your go-to?

1. Spaghetti
2. Spiraling
3. Macaroni
4. Tagliatelle

I'd say that chart is regional (or not Italian) rather than wrong. Nobody down here would eat pesto with anything other than linguini.
Ravioli would have an oil based "sauce" if it was oil and sage just lightly dressing it. Which is how most stuffed pasta is eaten tbh.
And fettuccine is just wider tagliatelle so would be eaten with ragu/meat sauces.

I’m going to make some simple sauce of anchovy, garlic, olive oil and basil, maybe broccoli. What shape would be traditional? (if the sauce is vaguely genuine I don’t know?)

This!

It's the wrong way round.

That's choosing sauce based on pasta, whereas the chart is about choosing pasta based on sauce. I'd eat sage and brown butter on spaghetti, or aglio/olio or a number of other butter/oil sauces. I would, however, only eat ravioli with a butter/oil based sauce.

All crows are black, not all black things are crows IYSWIM!

And yes, pesto can be eaten on a few forms of pasta (and on my finger at a push).

I agree with you, spirali is my favourite.

In Milan it would be spaghetti (if my nonna-knowledge is anything to go by) but the broccoli would be separate. We used to have tiny lake fish on spaghetti there. Bloody delicious.

Depends on meal

Bolognese - Napolina spaghetti
Stroganoff - supermarket farfalle
Meatballs - Napolina rigatoni or supermarket farfalle
ALFredo - supermarket penne or Napolina rigatoni
Tuna pasta - supermarket conchiglie
Macroni cheese - marshalls elbow Macroni or spiralli

Supermarket Rigatoni falls to pieces.

Not fussed on Fusilli, straight Macroni or linguine

Linguine goes so well with ragu though.

Tagliatelle

Spirali - love the texture. It's bouncy!
And spaghetti.

In our house, we usually have a supply of all of the following types (in no particular order):

Spirali
Fusilli
Penne
Linguini
Lasagna

Although I do like fettuccine and tagliatelle as well. Spaghetti less so due to the messy eating of it lol!

Shells are a pain in the arse to drain because water sits in them. I like spirali best, but only use them for pasta bakes. Fusilli are my everyday choice

I love belly button pasta as it's chewy
Or is ears

orecchiette

I didn't make/design the chart but good to know.

I'd say spaghetti too. Or orecchiette. Your sauce would be a fairly traditional "cucina povera" dish without the basil but with some fried breadcrumbs. (basil with tomatoes is the "rules" I only obey them when I'm with the family otherwise I do what I like 🤣)

basil with tomatoes is the "rules" I only obey them when I'm with the family otherwise I do what I like

The one I repeatedly break is no cheese with fish on pasta. I'm a rebel.

Oh gosh, me too.
And on lentils. Little pasta with lentils and vast quantities of cheese stirred in. All in secret obvs.

All in secret obvs.

Well durr.

I had this conversation with myself yesterday 😂 just wanted a quick meal with pesto. So fusilli.

Shells are best for mac and cheese.

Bow tie is a good generic.

i love Penne!

Shells are best for mac and cheese.

Ummmmmmmmmm no. The 'mac' in mac and cheese isn't 'shells'.

Alternative parsley for the basil any better? So glad idea of broccoli on the side. Or maybe not at all - it’s only there to pretend my level of olive oil is healthy. I’ll see if I can find orchiette as look’s easier than spaghetti to eat.
Also traditionally would it have started as fresh? Mine will be dried as there’s just me and the fresh pasta comes it big packs.

Rigatoni.