Little bit wider than spaghetti, but narrower than fettuccine, linguine helps to absorb lighter sauces and hold the ingredients in place. This type of pasta is served with pesto, white wine, olive oil, or clam sauce.
Not every pasta noodle serves the same purposes, and linguine offers a luxurious texture with mild sauce and seafood. Furthermore, it complements well with a variety of sides.
What to eat with linguine? Linguine pasta pairs wonderfully with herbs, cheese, vegetables, seafood, and fruit juice. From garlic to parsley, these herbs and spices add flavor to light sauces that complement the plain noodle.
Whether the pasta uses creamy or lemony sauce, adding shrimp, bolognese or mushroom based sauces is highly recommended.
In addition, consider adding a side of fresh salad and toasted garlic bread for a full meal, and enjoy with a glass of Barbera, Chianti, Primativo, or Sangiovese.
Simple linguine dish with olive oil, lemon juice, and shredded parmesan cheese is a quick and ideal weeknight favorite. Prepare with ingredients such as crab, prawns, and courgette for perfect match.
As a result, this pasta dish can become a new midweek favorite for your family. If you need more inspiration, this article gives in-depth information on the sauces, meats, cheese, and wines to pair with linguine.
What is linguine pasta used for?
Linguine is one of the most common types of pasta that you will find in almost every pantry. The noodle shape is ideal for twirling and can offer a sophisticated appearance when piled high and served.
This long and narrow pasta looks like a strand of spaghetti that has been flattened into shape. It collects sauce pretty well and is versatile enough to toss in endless sauce options.
One of the fascinating things about linguine is that it works perfectly with a wide array of sauces. For instance, a combination of linguine with pesto or marinara sauce can become a quick pasta meal for your family.
What pairs well with linguine?
There are plenty of ingredients that go well with linguine, and choosing the best combination can elevate the whole experience.
Whether you are serving with tomato based or pesto sauce, here are pairing ideas that you can accomplish with these chef approved ingredients:
- Vegetables: carrots, peas, artichoke, asparagus, snap peas, zucchini, bell pepper, broccoli, corn, mushroom, arugula, swiss chard
- Dried fruits: apricots, raisins, figs
- Condiments: olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup
- Herbs: garlic, basil, bay leaves, parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary
- Nuts: walnut, pine nuts, almond, pistachio
- Dairy: heavy cream, butter, creme fraiche, sour cream
What sauce goes well with linguine?
Based on your preference, linguine tastes beautiful with cream, cheese, oil, and tomato based sauces. However, the sauce option can vary depending on the protein choice.
Here are sauces that go well with linguine:
- Seafood based sauce: Not only to serve with clams, shrimp or scallops, using white wine, olive oil, or cream can blend those grilled or panfried seafood with the pasta.
- Pesto sauce: Traditionally served with pesto sauce, linguine pasta absorbs the nutty and earthy taste from the herbs and pine nuts in the dish. This sauce is versatile to pair with chicken, cherry tomatoes or even make into creamy pesto version with cream cheese.
- Tomato sauce: With chopped tomato and heap of tomato paste, linguine can blend well with the sweet and tangy sauce. Simply add fresh basil leaves and grated parmesan to maximize the flavor.
- Alfredo sauce: Linguine tastes good with simple cream sauce like alfredo. Add seafood or chicken and still be able to hold the sauce in every bite.
- Lemon sauce: Citrus sauce using lemon is a great way to lighten up the pasta. The zest and juice from lemon blends well with butter, garlic, heavy cream, pepper flakes, and herbs to create a flavorful dish.
What meat goes well with Linguine?
Knowing which meat can go well with Linguine will transform the dish from good to better within seconds. Not only does meat improves the taste, but also it enhance nutritional value of the finished dish.
What cheese goes well with linguine?
Whether you are serving creamy or oily pasta with linguine, cheese is a must-have essential ingredients to make any dish delicious. Grated cheese can be used to garnish as a final touch or even blend into the sauce to create a creamy cheesy sauce to toss the linguine with.
Some of the typical cheeses to consider tossing with linguine include:
- mozzarella
- parmesan
- mascarpone
- cream cheese
- swiss
- fontina
- gorgonzola
- ricotta
- blue cheese
How do you serve linguine?
Just like any other pasta, there are plenty of ways to serve linguine. From side dishes to sauces, every plate will present different flavors with little bit of accommodation.
The classic ways to serve linguine are:
- seafood
- herbs
- tomatoes
- vegetables
- chicken
- garlic bread
- salad
What wine goes well with linguine?
As similar to other pasta dishes, linguine pairs wonderfully with a glass of wine. However, when it comes to wine pairing with linguine, it all varies based on what sauces you choose to serve with.
For a wine pairing connoisseur, the sauce type brings out the flavor in a dish:
- Seafood sauce: Chardonnay, Vernaccia, Viognier
- Alfredo sauce: buttery Chardonnay
- Olive oil: Barbera, Chianti, Dolcetto, Sauvignon Blanc, Soave, Vermentino
- Pesto sauce: Chardonnay, Gavi, Sauvignon Blanc, Vermentino, white wine
- Seafood: Chardonnay, Frascati, Orvieto, Sauvignon Blanc, Verdicchio, Vernaccia
- Tomato sauce: Barbera, Chianti, Montepulciano, Pinot Grigio, Zinfandel

Eat with Linguini: Conclusion
Whether enjoying with wine, seafood or variety of sauces, there’s one thing we all agree on, linguine is a delicious and versatile pasta when served with complementary ingredients.
From herbs to cheese, vegetables and seafood, linguine pairs wonderfully with variety of foods. However, it is generally served with light sauces including seafood, pesto, tomato, alfredo, and lemon based.
With these sauce options, you can add seafood, roasted vegetables, chicken or even chopped herbs to garnish with.
To enhance the rich flavor of linguine pasta, add beef, chicken, turkey, pork or seafood such as shrimp, scallop, or prawns to enjoy the maximum. And don’t forget to grate cheese on top or use cheese to blend into the pasta sauces.
There is no need to worry about what side dishes to pair with. Consider going minimal such as fresh salad with light dressing or slices of garlic bread to soak up any delicious sauces leftover on the plate.
For quick and easy dinner, use these flavors and ingredient recommendations to make delicious and nutritious linguine pasta at any time. Depending on what sauce and proteins you choose, consider adding a glass of wine to complement the meal.