Noodle Shapes

Going through a lot of the packaged mac & cheese meals, it's notable that whenever most people think of a mac and cheese meal, the elbow noodle is the most commonly associated noodle to appear everywhere. And for good reason: It's small, cooks easy, and can hold a small amount of the cheese sauce to enhance your bite.

But what about all the other noodles that are out there? Not just the ones that brands pair with their mac and cheese flavors, but all sorts of noodle variety. In order to get a better idea of what all there is (as well as having a place to refer back to for noodle types), I’ll go through some others I've found in my searches that I’ll pair with in order to find out what the best noodles are and which cheeses go best with them:

Acini di Pepe – Very small shapes used in broths. Also called "Peppercorn"

Alphabet Pasta – Kid's pasta shape, normally used in soups, although I've seen it in some mac and cheeses

Anellini – Little pasta rings. Used in various soups, although most popular in packaged meals as the main noodle ingredient for "Spaghetti-O's"

Capellini (Angel Hair Pasta) – Very thin and delicate strands best used with thin sauces. In addition to spaghetti, it's also used in salads or stir fry meals. Also called "Fine Hairs" pasta.

Farfalle (Bow Ties) – Also known as "butterflies", these have a unique noodle shape, very handy for many different sauces. Can go with certain salads and soups.

Buctani – Thick spaghetti noodles whose special feature is that the center is hollow like a thin straw. Useful for casseroles or stir-fry dishes. Fits very well with just about any sauce.

Campanelle – Also known as "bells", these are shaped like a small cone with ruffled out edges. Useful for heartier sauces such as ones paired with meat, cream, vegetables or oil. Great with pasta salads.

Cappelletti – Pasta that is folded and then twisted to form a shape much like a small alpine hat. Became the main noodle used for Kraft's recent Extreme Cheese flavor packages.

Casarecce – Much like a cross between the bigger Penne noodles and the more bell-shaped Campanelle noodles, these are rounded at the ends, with one closed and one open. Best used with a variety of casseroles and meat sauces.

Cavatappi – Also called the "corkscrew" noodle, these noodles are shaped like a longer spiral-shaped elbow noodle. Blends well with both simple and more complex sauces. Used quite a bit with cheese sauces and broccoli.

Cavatelli – Noodles that resemble miniature hot dog bun shapes. Used most often with thicker chunky sauces and pasta salads, although it can be paired nicely with a variety of foods (meats, cream, seafood, vegetable sauces)

Ditalini – Also called "Little Thimbles", these small cog-shaped noodles go well with just about any dish, especially salads and stir-fry dishes.

Egg Noodles – Flat noodles that twist around, used most often in Stroganoff. Come in both medium and wide sizes. Medium shape used more in soups, salads, and baked dishes. Wide used most often in casseroles.

Elbow Macaroni – Versatile shape used in just about anything (sauces, baked dishes, soups, salads and stir-fry dishes), although most traditionally used to make Macaroni and Cheese.

Farfalline – A smaller version of the Farfalle "bow tie" noodles, also used for just about anything.

Fideo – Short thin pasta strands curved slightly, used most in soups.

Fusilli – Also known as "Twisted Spaghetti" thin and very spiral-twisted, they're used most often in salads and casseroles.

Gemili –

Gigli –

Jumbo Shells –

Lasagna –

Linguine –

Macaroni –

Manicotti –

Conchiglie –

Orecchiette –

Orzo –

Penne, Mostaccioli –

Penne –

Penne Rigate –

Pipe Rigate –

Pipette Rigate –

Radiatori –

Ravioli –

Reginette –

Riccioli –

Rigatoni –

Rocchetti –

Rotelle –

Rotini –

Small Shells –

Spaghetti –

Thin Spaghetti –

Tortellini –

Tortiglioni –

Tripolini –

Tubini –

Vermicelli –

Wagon Wheels, Ruote –

Ziti – Also called "Bridegrooms", a medium sized tubular pasta shape that goes great with chunky sauces and meat dishes