The Best Types Of Pasta To Pair With Cream Sauce

When it comes to pairing pasta with a rich and velvety cream sauce, certain types of pasta excel in complementing and enhancing the dish's luscious texture and flavors. Fettuccine is a classic choice, renowned for its wide, flat ribbons that provide an ample surface area for the creamy sauce to cling to, creating a perfect balance with each bite. Similarly, tagliatelle, with its slightly thicker strands, offers a robust base that holds up well against the sauce's richness. Pappardelle, even broader and more indulgent, is another excellent option, ideal for capturing the sauce in its folds. For a more delicate experience, consider using cavatappi or fusilli. These shorter, spiral-shaped pastas trap the sauce in their curves, ensuring a flavorful experience with every mouthful. The ridges and twists of these shapes allow them to grip the sauce effectively, making them a delightful choice for cream-based dishes. Lastly, gnocchi, though not a traditional pasta, provides a wonderful texture when paired with cream sauce. Its pillowy softness absorbs the sauce beautifully, offering a comforting and satisfying meal. Each of these pasta types brings its unique characteristics to the table, elevating the cream sauce to new heights of culinary enjoyment.
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Shorter, rounded pasta shapes for your cream sauce

When it comes to shorter pasta varieties, Chef Mirabile offers clear guidance. "Mostaccioli and penne, along with rigatoni, pair wonderfully with cream sauces, as the sauce clings well to the pasta," he explained.

Penne is one of the most recognized pasta shapes globally, and you're likely familiar with it. Its hollow structure makes it an ideal vessel for holding sauces. Additionally, the exterior features small ridges that help sauces adhere to the pasta tubes. However, a smooth variant of penne, known as mostaccioli in Southern Italy, lacks these ridges and has a sleek surface.

Rigatoni shares the same cylindrical form as penne, but instead of pointed ends, it has straight-cut edges, giving each piece a short tube appearance. This pasta is always ridged, ensuring that it will hold onto your cream sauce as soon as they come together.

Choose whichever pasta you prefer (or have on hand) and get started on that Olive Garden Alfredo sauce (which uses heavy cream as a secret ingredient) you've been wanting to make. A steaming plate of pasta coated in creamy sauce is a comforting dinner option, no matter the time of year.

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