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Pasta e Patate: A Winter Bowl of Southern Comfort

  • Writer: Made al Dente
    Made al Dente
  • Jul 1
  • 3 min read

A warming recipe cooked on a cold February Sunday in the hills of the Oltrepò Pavese.


A bowl of warming Pasta e Patate made on a winter's day
A bowl of warming Pasta e Patate made on a winter's day

The sky had been heavy all morning, a blanket of mist pulled low over the hills of the Oltrepò Pavese. Inside, the warmth of the fire crackled through the quiet. It was one of those Sundays when everything slows down — not out of laziness, but out of necessity. A cold day calls for something that anchors you, something that simmers for a while and asks little of you except patience and presence. That day, it was pasta e patate.


There’s nothing glamorous about the ingredients: a few potatoes, some onion and carrot, a stalk of celery, a bit of pasta from the cupboard, and the heel of a semi-hard cheese hiding in the fridge. But as with so many traditional Italian dishes, simplicity is deceptive. This is food that was made in lean times, in crowded kitchens, by people who understood that comfort isn’t measured in extravagance but in warmth, fullness, and flavor.


I began with a soffritto — onion, carrot, celery leaves — chopped small and coaxed into sweetness over a slow flame. The scent was immediate and familiar, the kitchen filling with the earthy perfume that marks the start of so many good meals.


The potatoes followed — waxy, cubed, and scattered into the pot like pale stones. I let them sit for a while, absorbing the golden oil, until they softened slightly at the edges. Then came the broth — strong and vegetable-rich — poured in slowly until the potatoes just disappeared beneath the surface.


Outside, the sky threatened snow. Inside, the steam rose in thick clouds.


When the potatoes were nearly tender, I added the pasta — ditalini rigati, the kind that looks almost like beads. I stirred gently, watching the soup thicken not because of cream, but because the starch from both pasta and potato dissolved into the broth. A soft alchemy.

The final flourish was the cheese — provola, cubed and cool, stirred in just after the heat was turned off. I covered the pot and let it sit. When I lifted the lid, the surface had changed — silky, golden, and punctuated by soft pockets of half-melted cheese, stretching into the ladle as I served the first bowl.


This dish has roots in Naples, where it’s as essential as the language itself. It’s not meant to impress. It’s meant to hold you. And on that February day, as the fire hissed low and the cold crept past the shutters, it did exactly that.


Notes for the Cook


SERVES: 4 | PREP TIME: 20 minutes | TOTAL TIME: 1 hour


Ingredients

  • Extra virgin olive oil – 3 tbsp

  • White onion – 1 small, chopped (80g / ½ cup)

  • Carrot – 3 small, chopped (100g / ⅓ cup)

  • Celery leaves or stalks – a small handful, finely chopped

  • Salt and black pepper – to taste

  • Potatoes – 400g (about 2½ cups), peeled and cubed

  • Strong vegetable broth – 1 litre (about 4 cups; adjust as needed)

  • Short pasta – 200g (about 2 cups; ditalini, tubetti, etc.)

  • Mild melting cheese – 200g (about 1¼ cups), cubed (provola, scamorza, asiago)


Quick Steps

  1. Make the soffritto:Heat olive oil in a heavy pot. Sauté onion, carrot, and celery until soft (5–7 mins).

  2. Add potatoes:Stir in cubed potatoes. Cook 2–3 mins to absorb flavor.

  3. Add broth & simmer:Pour in broth to cover. Simmer until potatoes are fork-tender (10–12 mins).

  4. Add pasta:Stir in pasta. Cook until al dente (8–10 mins), stirring occasionally.

  5. Melt the cheese:Turn off heat. Add cubed cheese and stir gently. Cover and let sit 2–3 mins.

  6. Serve:Stir again and serve warm. Drizzle with olive oil if desired.


Top Tips

  • Adjust consistency: Add more broth if it thickens too much before serving.

  • Use the right cheese: Choose one that melts gently without overpowering.

  • Don’t overcook pasta: Slightly undercook to preserve texture as it rests.


Did you know

  • Starch creates the creaminess: There’s no cream in traditional pasta e patate — just the starches from potatoes and pasta thickening the broth naturally. Oh, and the cheese!

  • Neapolitan heritage: The dish hails from Campania and is considered a staple of humble, home-style cooking, passed from generation to generation.

  • Cheese was optional: Originally, this was a poor dish — cheese was a luxury. Adding it today nods to its origins while making it irresistibly modern.

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