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Pizzoccheri

Name: Pizzoccheri
Yield: Serves 4-6
Cuisine: Italian recipes
Ingredients: 1 small to medium savoy cabbage; 400g (about 2) waxy potatoes, diced; 200g fresh pizzoccheri or 300g dried pizzoccheri or similar pasta; 1 tbsp olive oil; 50g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing; 1 onion, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; Small bunch of fresh sage, leaves picked, plus extra leaves, fried in butter until crisp, to garnish; 50g plain flour; 500ml milk; Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg; 100g grated Fontina or Gruyère (vegetarians should opt for vegetarian Brie or Cornish Yarg, sliced); 50g grated vegetarian Parmesan

Published: 31 Dec 08
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Purists (and skiers!) please note that this is not the true Valtellina pizzoccheri of northern Italy, which is made with a lot more butter and cheese! But, rest assured, you’ll still adore the taste of this comfort dish par excellence.

Easy
January 2009

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4-6
Takes 15 minutes to make and 25-30 minutes to cook

Vegetarian recipes

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 474kcals
Fat: 26g (14.8g saturated)
Protein: 17.6g
Carbohydrates: 46.1g (7.2g sugars)
Salt: 0.6g

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Ingredients

1 small to medium savoy cabbage
400g (about 2) waxy potatoes, diced
200g fresh pizzoccheri or 300g dried pizzoccheri or similar pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
50g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Small bunch of fresh sage, leaves picked, plus extra leaves, fried in butter until crisp, to garnish
50g plain flour
500ml milk
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
100g grated Fontina or Gruyère (vegetarians should opt for vegetarian Brie or Cornish Yarg, sliced)
50g grated vegetarian Parmesan

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Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil. Remove the dark, outer leaves from the cabbage. Shred the inner leaves and blanch for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain and set aside.
Bring the potatoes to the boil in another pan of water and cook until just about to fall apart. Drain and set aside. Cook the fresh pizzoccheri in the cabbage pan for 2-3 minutes (or according to pack instructions for dried), until al dente. Drain, toss with a little oil, then mix with the cabbage and potatoes. Transfer to a greased 1.2-1.5-litre baking dish.
Gently heat the butter in a pan. Add the onion, garlic and sage and fry until soft. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, reserving the butter. Scatter the onion mix over the mixture in the baking dish.

Return the pan of butter to the heat (add another knob if needed). Once it fizzes, whisk in the flour. Off the heat, stir in the milk and nutmeg. Cook gently until you have a loose, béchamel-type sauce. Melt in the Fontina or Gruyère. Season and pour over the pasta and vegetable mix, then check the seasoning. Scatter the Parmesan over the top and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Garnish with a few fried sage leaves.