Bored with macaroni?  Try wagon wheels (rotelle) or ear shaped (orecchiette) pasta.  There are more than 50 shapes to choose from.

Most pasta shapes of approximately the same size are easily interchangeable.  However, some swell more than others during cooking.  Keep this in mind and measure by weight, not by volume.

Experiment with flavored pastas, from squid ink (black colored) to carrot and herb.  They add color and a subtle flavor.  Multicolored fusilli makes a beautiful summer salad and spinach pasta dresses up and Stroganoff dish.

From Chatelaine Cook Book