Pasta Database

Liguria · oil · thin

Best pasta for pesto alla genovese

Basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan, pecorino, olive oil. Raw and oily. Trofie and trenette are the Ligurian pairings.

Region
Liguria
Base
Oil
Texture
Thin
Shapes that hold it
18
Pesto alla genovese, served on pasta

What it asks of a shape

Pesto alla genovese is a thin oil-based sauce. It wants a twist that traps the sauce in its turns, a long strand, so the sauce coats every turn of the fork, and a rough bronze-die surface, which holds an oil or a thin sauce. The ranking below scores every profiled shape on those traits, then the shape's own sauce notes break the ties.

About pesto

Place of origin
Genoa, Liguria
Type
Sauce

No article covers this exact sauce. On pesto in general:

Pesto, also known as pesto genovese, is an Italian paste traditionally made with leaves of Genovese basil, extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan, pecorino sardo, pine nuts, and garlic. It originated in the Ligurian city of Genoa and is used to dress pasta.

18 shapes that hold it

Casarecce, uncooked, on linen

Casarecce

Short shapes · Sicily

A trough down the middle and a slight twist, so it carries pesto, ricotta, sausage crumbs, and a chunky vegetable sauce.

Fazzoletti, uncooked, on linen

Fazzoletti

Sheets · Liguria

A wide thin sheet with maximum surface.

Foglie d'ulivo, uncooked, on linen

Foglie d'ulivo

Short shapes · Puglia

A flat rough leaf coats well and takes light sauces: pesto, oil and cherry tomatoes, a vegetable sauce, a light seafood dressing.

Fusilli, uncooked, on linen

Fusilli

Short shapes · Campania

The spiral grooves trap sauce along their whole length, so fusilli takes chunky and creamy sauces that a smooth shape sheds: pesto, a vegetable ragu, tomato with ricotta, a cold dressing.

Gemelli, uncooked, on linen

Gemelli

Short shapes · All of Italy

The twist holds a light sauce in its groove without the deep pockets of fusilli, so it suits smoother dressings: pesto, oil and vegetables, a light tomato, a thin cream.

Testaroli, uncooked, on linen

Testaroli

Sheets · Tuscany

A porous griddled sheet soaks up sauce.

Trenette, uncooked, on linen

Trenette

Long strands · Liguria

Pesto.

Trofie, uncooked, on linen

Trofie

Hand-formed · Liguria

A tight rough twist made for pesto.

Farfalle, uncooked, on linen

Farfalle

Short shapes · Lombardy

The wings are flat and the pinch is dense, so farfalle does best with sauces that coat rather than fill: cream with peas and salmon, a light tomato, pesto, a cold dressing.

Linguine, uncooked, on linen

Linguine

Long strands · Liguria

More surface, still no cavity.

Pennette, uncooked, on linen

Pennette

Tubes · All of Italy

Small tubes take smooth and light sauces: tomato, a simple cream, pesto, an oil dressing for a cold salad.

Rotini, uncooked, on linen

Rotini

Short shapes · United States

As fusilli: sauces and dressings with pieces that catch in the twist.

Corzetti, uncooked, on linen

Corzetti

Hand-formed · Liguria

The stamped relief holds a thin sauce in its grooves.

Gnocchetti sardi, uncooked, on linen

Gnocchetti sardi

Short shapes · Sardinia

Ridged shells hold sausage, tomato, pesto, and cheese.

Cavatappi, uncooked, on linen

Cavatappi

Tubes · All of Italy

Three ways to hold sauce at once, so it takes cheese sauces, cream, pesto, dressings, and a light ragu.

Gnocchi, uncooked, on linen

Gnocchi

Hand-formed · All of Italy

Soft, absorbent, and heavy, gnocchi need a sauce that is rich but not chunky: butter and sage, gorgonzola cream, a smooth tomato, pesto, a fine ragu.

Strozzapreti, uncooked, on linen

Strozzapreti

Short shapes · Emilia-Romagna

Rough, twisted, and long enough to hold, so it takes a ragu, a sausage sauce, cream with mushrooms, and a pesto.

Lasagne, uncooked, on linen

Lasagne

Sheets · Emilia-Romagna

A sheet is a layer.

Sources

  • The ranking and the sauce notes are our editorial judgement, from the traits in each shape record. See the method.
  • Pesto, Wikipedia (summary, ingredients, origin), CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata Q9896.