Linguine vs. Spaghetti: Comparing Linguine and Spaghetti

Linguine is a type of pasta made of a simple flour and water mixture with origins in the province of Genoa, Italy. Linguine means “little tongues” in Italian and describes the long pasta noodles. Varieties of flours cooks use to make linguine include white flour, whole wheat flour, and on some occasions, almond or potato flour. Linguine noodles are flatter than angel hair, spaghetti, and bucatini pasta noodles.

Spaghetti is a type of pasta made of semolina or durum wheat flour and water. Spaghetti—which comes from the Italian word “spago” meaning “thread” or “twine”—is a long, round pasta. The long strands are generally ten inches long. The thickness of spaghetti can vary; for example, spaghetti with thin strands is known as spaghettini.

Linguine and spaghetti are staples in Italian cuisine. These long pastas made with wheat have several similarities and one key difference:

• Shape: The primary difference between linguine and spaghetti is that linguine is a flat noodle, while spaghetti is round.
• Wheat: Linguine and spaghetti are traditionally made with durum or semolina flour. These kinds of pasta can technically be made from any type of flour, such as potato or rice, but the traditional forms use wheat.
• Long pasta: There are many different types of pasta with varying pasta shapes, such as penne, farfalle, rigatoni, macaroni, fusilli, ziti, rotini, lasagna, and tagliatelle. Linguine and spaghetti belong to the category of pasta known as long pasta. Other pastas with long noodles include fettuccine, angel hair, and capellini.
• Preparation: Many pasta recipes call for noodles to be prepared “al dente,” meaning they are removed from the hot water while still slightly firm. Both spaghetti and linguine dishes are often cooked this way.

Linguine is highly versatile, and you can serve this pasta with thin sauces and thick sauces—it has a slightly larger surface area than spaghetti and works well with thicker sauces, such as cream sauces. Linguine complements seafood well, since the protein is often lighter than other meatier options. Try topping the noodles with a light coat of butter and serving them with a clam sauce. You can also pair linguine with plain tomato sauces, light tomato-based pasta sauces or pestos, or white wine and garlic mixtures.

You can serve spaghetti with smooth, light sauces such as marinara, carbonara, cacio e pepe, and garlic and olive oil. You can serve thicker spaghetti with more substantial meat sauces, such as bolognese or ragú. Spaghetti with marinara sauce, meatballs, and Parmesan cheese is a famous pasta dish.

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