Pasta with Cotechino Ragù

Pasta with cotechino ragù is a recipe that embodies Italian tradition, pairing cotechino, typical of festivities, with ragù, a classic of Italian cuisine. Here is how to prepare this dish.

Ingredients

• 300 g of pasta (preferably tagliatelle or pappardelle)
• 250 g of cotechino (already cooked and peeled)
• 1 small onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 clove of garlic
• 400 g of tomato passata
• Red wine, as needed
• Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
• Salt, as needed
• Black pepper, as needed
• Grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Preparation

1. Start by finely chopping the onion, carrot, and celery. In a large pan, sauté the vegetable mix with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the whole garlic clove (which you can remove later).

2. Cut the cooked and peeled cotechino into small cubes and add it to the vegetable sauté. Allow it to brown for a few minutes.

3. Deglaze with red wine and let the alcohol evaporate over high heat.

4. Add the tomato passata, lower the heat, and cook for about 30-40 minutes, adding a little water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain it and pour it into the pan with the cotechino ragù, letting it flavor for a couple of minutes.

6. Serve the pasta hot, sprinkled with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese.

Curiosity

Cotechino is a typical Italian sausage, especially from the Emilian and Venetian cuisine, traditionally eaten during the Christmas and New Year’s period. There is a popular belief that eating cotechino at the start of the year brings prosperity and luck for the months to come. With this recipe, cotechino finds a second life after the holidays, perfectly integrating with pasta in a rich and substantial dish.