Neapolitan Pasta and Potatoes

Neapolitan pasta and potatoes is a comforting and hearty dish from the Campania tradition. It’s a thick and rich soup where the pasta absorbs the flavors of the potato base and broth it’s cooked in. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• 400 g of short pasta (such as ditalini or tubetti)
• 600 g of potatoes
• 1 onion
• 50 g of smoked bacon (optional)
• 1.5 L of vegetable broth or water
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Grated parmesan cheese for garnishing (optional)
• Fresh basil or parsley for garnishing (optional)

Preparation

1. Peel and dice the potatoes into small cubes.
2. Finely slice the onion and dice the bacon, if you choose to use it.
3. In a large pot, sauté the onion in extra virgin olive oil until it becomes translucent. Add the bacon and allow it to brown lightly.
4. Add the potato cubes to the pot and mix well.
5. Cover with broth or water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for about 15-20 minutes until the potatoes start to soften.
6. Add the pasta to the pot and stir. If necessary, add more broth or hot water to maintain a consistency similar to that of a thick soup.
7. Continue cooking according to the pasta package’s instructions, stirring occasionally.
8. When the pasta is cooked and the dish has reached the desired thickness, turn off the heat. Adjust with salt and add pepper to taste.
9. Serve hot, with a sprinkle of parmesan and garnish with fresh basil or parsley if desired.

Curiosity

This is one of those recipes that slightly vary from family to family in Campania, and it’s often enriched with additions like sausage or smoked provola cheese. Tradition dictates using leftover pasta, even of different shapes, to give the dish a rustic and homely character.

Here you have one of the most classic comfort foods from Southern Italy! Enjoy your meal!