Pairing · none, this one is American
The best shapes for cheese sauce
The cheddar bechamel of mac and cheese. Thick enough to need ridges and bores, which is why elbows and cavatappi own the dish.
CampanelleShaped shorts
Campanelle works like a scoop with a grip.
CavatappiShaped shorts
Cavatappi grips sauce three ways at once.
ConchiglieShaped shorts
A shell is a scoop.
LumacheShaped shorts
The cupped shell works like a small spoon.
MacaroniTubes
Elbows are open at both ends, so sauce flows through the cavity instead of pooling against a closed seam.
PipeShaped shorts
The curl of the body and the pinched closed end work like a scoop.
RadiatoriShaped shorts
The fins and ruffled ridges are the whole point.
RotelleShaped shorts
The wheel works like a small net.
Want it the other way around? Start from a shape in the Pairing Finder.