Fettuccine substitute

Substitutes for Fettuccine with ratios

1. 2Linguine

   Close match

   Use the same amount by weight

   A narrow flat strand, roughly half the width of fettuccine.

   What changes

   Best for

   Alfredo, garlic butter, shrimp and cream, light tomato sauce

   Still flat, so cream and butter sauces coat it properly, but you get more strands per forkful and the dish eats noticeably lighter. A heavy meat ragu can overwhelm it and slide off in clumps. It also cooks a minute or two faster, and it tangles more, so toss it with the sauce straight out of the water.

2. 3Pappardelle

   Different texture

   Use the same amount by weight

   A much wider ribbon, roughly an inch across.

   What changes

   Best for

   beef and pork ragu, mushroom cream sauce, braised meat sauces

   A big change and often an upgrade: the wide sheets feel silky and luxurious and carry a chunky braise beautifully. They are also heavy enough to overpower a delicate lemon-cream or garlic-butter sauce, and they stick to each other badly, so use a wide pot, plenty of water and sauce them immediately.

3. 4Lasagna sheets cut into ribbons

   Close match

   Use the same amount by weight

   Dried or fresh lasagna sheets sliced lengthwise into quarter-inch strips before boiling.

   What changes

   Best for

   Alfredo, cream sauces, ragu, emergency fettuccine

   The best trick if you have no long pasta at all, because it is the same dough at roughly the same thickness. Expect uneven widths and, if you have the curly-edged kind, one frilly edge per ribbon, which actually holds sauce well. Lasagna sheets are usually thicker than fettuccine, so allow a couple of extra minutes and taste before draining.

4. 5Wide egg noodles

   Different texture

   Use the same amount by weight

   Short, curled American-style egg noodles from the soup aisle.

   What changes

   Best for

   creamy chicken dishes, stroganoff-style sauces, casseroles

   They are flat and eggy, so a cream sauce clings well, but they are distinctly softer with much less chew, and they are too short to twirl, so the dish reads as a comforting casserole rather than a plate of pasta. They cook fast; check them two minutes before the package time.

5. 6Spaghetti

   Different texture

   Use the same amount by weight

   The least-bad option when a round strand is all there is.

   What changes

   Best for

   tomato sauce, garlic and oil, thin cream sauces

   Honest answer: it works, but a heavy Alfredo has nothing flat to hold on to, so it slides off and pools. Fix it mechanically rather than hoping: reserve a mug of pasta water, drain the spaghetti slightly early, then toss it with the sauce in the pan over low heat with a splash of that water and a handful of grated parmesan until the sauce visibly thickens and coats each strand.