Pizzoccheri alla Valtellinese: Buckwheat Pasta with Cabbage and Cheese

Pizzoccheri alla valtellinese is a northern Italian pasta dish built for cold days: buckwheat pasta, potatoes, cabbage, melted cheese and butter scented with garlic and sage.

It is rich, but it should feel layered rather than greasy. The vegetables and pasta cook together, then the hot ingredients melt the cheese into the dish.

Why Buckwheat Belongs to Valtellina

Pizzoccheri are associated with Valtellina in Lombardy, an Alpine area where buckwheat has long been part of local cooking.

The dish reflects mountain practicality: hearty pasta, vegetables, cheese and butter combined into one substantial plate.

Ingredients for Pizzoccheri

• 320 g pizzoccheri pasta
• 250 g potatoes, peeled and diced
• 250 g savoy cabbage, sliced
• 200 g Valtellina Casera or similar melting cheese
• 80 g butter
• 1 garlic clove
• Fresh sage leaves
• Fine sea salt
• Black pepper

How to Layer the Pasta, Vegetables and Cheese

1. Cook vegetables first.
   Bring salted water to the boil, add potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add cabbage and pasta.
   Add sliced cabbage and pizzoccheri, then cook until the pasta is tender.
3. Prepare the butter.
   Melt butter with garlic and sage until fragrant, then remove the garlic if preferred.
4. Layer with cheese.
   Drain pasta and vegetables, then layer them hot with diced cheese in a warm dish.
5. Finish.
   Pour over the sage butter, add black pepper and let the cheese melt before serving.

How to Keep Pizzoccheri Balanced

• Warm the serving dish.
  Heat helps the cheese melt without needing to stir aggressively.
• Use a good melting cheese.
  Casera is traditional, but fontina-style cheese can work if needed.
• Do not rinse the pasta.
  The starch helps the cheese and butter cling.

Serving Pizzoccheri

Serve immediately as a main dish. It needs little beside it apart from a crisp salad or simply a glass of red wine.

More Lombardy Recipes

For more Lombardy cooking, read Saffron Risotto and Milanese Veal Cutlet.