Instructions: BY LIDIA MATTICCHIO BASTIANICH, Universal Press Syndicate

You may not think about it every time you open a box of pasta, but the shape you choose plays an important role in the outcome of the dish. The right shape can make a good sauce great; the wrong shape can dampen the appeal of the best sauce.

Perfect pasta pairings like linguine and clam sauce, cavatelli and broccoli and ziti and meat sauce have been a part of the Italian culinary repertoire for centuries.

Long, thin, dried pasta, such as capellini, spaghetti or linguine, need a lot of lubrication, so they work best with olive oil-based sauces. Thicker strands, such as fettuccine and tagliatelle, can stand up to cream sauces and ragus.

Tubular or shaped pastas go well with thick, chunky sauces.

Keep the size of the ingredients in mind. Tiny macaroni wont hold a chickpea, while rigatoni may feel too large for a simple tomato sauce. Pasta with ridges provides more texture for the sauces to cling.

Shaped pastas pair well with textured sauces. And shapes like castellane

(castles), conchiglie (shells) and orecchiette (little ears) also add fun to the plate.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.