Pizzocherri alla Valtellinese is a traditional, hearty Italian dish consisting of buckwheat pasta, cabbage, potatoes and plenty of cheese and butter. To make this meal weeknight friendly, simply swap out the homemade pasta for store bought, dried pizzocherri.

Table of contents
About The Recipe
Pizzocherri alla Valtellinese also known as Pizzoccheri della Valtellina originated in the Lombardy region of Italy near the Alps. I was first introduced to this recipe by my former boss, chef and food photographer, Francesco Tonelli. This recipe is so unique and unlike any other pasta dish I’ve ever tried.
The buckwheat based pasta noodles have a very distinct flavor and texture, which complements the cabbage and potatoes so well. The magic really happens at the end when the nutty, browned butter and gooey cheese come together to create the sauce.
If you’re looking for more Italian vegetarian recipes, I highly suggest my Italian Broccoli Pasta, Crespelle alla Fiorentina, Pasta with Ricotta and Peas and Penna alla Vodka (Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce).
Ingredient Notes
- Buckwheat pasta – The name pizzocherri is synonymous with this dish, as well as, the pasta itself. Dried pizzocherri pasta is available online on Amazon and in Italian specialty shops. For the homemade version, you’ll need a combination of buckwheat flour and 00 flour or all-purpose flour.
- Cabbage – Savoy cabbage is the most traditional option, but certainly not the only option. There are actually several different varieties of savoy cabbage. The darker, more tender version commonly found in Italy might be difficult to find in the states. See my recipe notes for differences in cooking time between savoy, green and napa cabbages.
- Potatoes – I prefer Yukon gold or yellow potatoes for their flavor and creamy texture, however, russet or white potatoes work well too.
- Sage – This is completely optional and not found in everyone’s pizzocherri, but it really complements the earthy flavors in this dish.
- Cheese – Traditional cheeses often used include Valtellina Casera, Montasio or Bitto. If you’re in the US like I am, I suggest fontina cheese for a similar mild flavor and semi-firm texture. For a salty bite, I also use parmigiano reggiano, which can be substituted for domestic parmesan or pecorino romano cheese.
Recipe Steps
If you’re making homemade pasta, whisk together the buckwheat and white flours in a large bowl (1). Gradually stir in warm water until you form a dough (2-3). Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic (4).
After resting the dough, roll out a portion of the dough into a rectangle, ⅛ of a inch thick (5). Lightly flour the surface, if needed, to prevent sticking. I found I didn’t really need to flour the surface as I normally would for pasta.
Trim any excess dough to create straight edges. Cut into 3 inch wipe strips, layer the strips and cut into ½ inch wide pieces of pasta (6-8). Repeat with the remaining dough.
Next, slice the cabbage, cheese and potatoes (9-11). Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes to the water, followed by the cabbage and buckwheat pasta in stages, as directed in the recipe.
While the vegetables cook, melt butter in a small pot. Add garlic cloves and sage leaves to the butter and cook until browned (12). Remove the cooked pasta and vegetables from the water and transfer to a large pan with the cheeses and browned butter (13-14). Place the pan of pizzocherri over the pot of water used to boil the vegetables and allow the steam to melt the cheese. Gently stir and serve immediately (15).
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- To save time, try a dried, packaged pizzocherri. You can find this online or in Italian specialty shops.
- If you’re using a thinner more delicate variety of cabbage, add it to the pot of water a few minutes after the potatoes start cooking. For thicker, firmer cabbages, start cooking it a few minutes before adding the potatoes.
- You can finish this dish on the stove top as I describe, or in the oven. Make sure to use an oven safe dish, and bake on 350F until the cheese is just melted.
Pizzocherri is made of buckwheat flour, white flour (00 flour or all-purpose flour), and water. Pizzocherri pasta is traditionally paired with potatoes, cabbage, cheese, garlic and butter.
Fontina, Montasio and Bitto cheeses are all great substitutes for Casera in pizzocherri.
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PrintPizzocherri alla Valtellinese
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Pizzocherri alla Valtellinese is a hearty Italian dish consisting of buckwheat pasta, cabbage, potatoes and plenty of cheese and butter.
Ingredients
1lb store bought, dry pizzocherri pasta or homemade pasta below
Buckwheat pasta:
- 2 cups + 3 tbsp (300g) buckwheat flour
- 1 cup + 2 ½ tbsp (150g) ‘00’ flour*
- 1 to 1 ¼ cups warm water
1 lb (450g) savoy cabbage, cut in 1 inch strips*
12 oz (340g) Yukon gold potato, cut into 1 inch chunks*
1 stick (113g) butter, cut into slices
6 sage leaves (optional)
3 cloves garlic
4 oz (115g) fontina cheese, cut in ½ inch cubes
1 oz (⅓ cup/28g) finely grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
Instructions
- Make the pasta dough. Whisk together buckwheat flour and 00 flour in a large bowl. Heat 1 ¼ cups of water to 125F. Make a well in the center of the bowl and gradually stir in 1 cup of the water. Add an additional 1 tablespoon of water as needed until flour is hydrated just enough to form a dough.
- Knead dough. Roll dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll and cut pasta. Cut off ¼ of the dough, keeping the remaining dough covered. Roll into a ⅛ inch thick rectangle, about 6 ½ – 7 inches long in one direction. Trim of any excess dough to create straight edges. Cut into 2, 3 inch wide pieces of dough. Slice ½ inch strips to create pizzocherri shape. Place cut pasta on a parchment lined sheet tray. Repeat with remaining dough. Make layers with parchment, as needed, to prevent pasta from sticking. Cover until ready to use.
- Cook vegetables. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt. If you’re using a thicker ribbed cabbage (e.g. green cabbage or a thicker savoy), put the cabbage in the boiling water first and cook for 5 minutes before adding the potatoes. If you’re using a thinner leafed cabbage (e.g. napa or a delicate savoy), add the potatoes to the water first and boil for 3 minutes before stirring in the cabbage. Continue to boil the vegetables for about 5 more minutes, until softened and partially cooked through.
- Cook pasta. Add fresh buckwheat pasta to the pot of boiling vegetables. Stir to make sure the pasta doesn’t stick together. Cook for about 10-12 minutes, until pasta and vegetables are tender. Remove with a spider or slotted spoon and transfer to a large pan, reserving the water in the pot. If you opt to used dried pizzocherri, consider cooking in a separate pot of salted water to better control the cooking time.
- Make brown butter. While the vegetables and pasta cook, melt butter in a small pot. Once butter is melted, add sage and garlic. Cook over medium-heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is browned and infused with the aromatics, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard garlic cloves.
- Finish the pasta. Dot fontina cheese over the pizzocherri vegetable mixture. Pour over the brown sage butter. Sprinkle with parmigiano. Place the pan over the pot of water used to cook the pasta, and use it like double boiler. Bring the water to a simmer, to create steam and melt the cheese. Gently stir to combine. Add a few spoons of pasta water to thin out the sauce, if needed. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
1lb of cabbage is roughly equivalent to half of a savoy or green cabbage, or 9 cups chopped.
I have tested this recipe using savoy cabbage, green cabbage and nappa cabbage. All strains of savoy cabbage have distinctive, crinkly leaves, however, some strains have more delicate, deep green leaves, while others have thicker, pale yellow leaves. The type of savoy cabbage I used, was closer in texture to a standard green cabbage and takes longer to cook than a nappa cabbage or more delicate savoy cabbage.
I like Yukon gold potatoes for their flavor and creamy texture, however, you can use any white, yellow or russet potatoes of your liking.
Unsalted or salted butter would both be suitable for this recipe. You can adjust the seasoning accordingly.
I use fontina cheese for this recipe because it’s easily accessible to me, but more traditional cheeses to use include Valtellina Casera, Montasio or Bitto.
You can substitute parmigiano reggiano for domestic parmesan or pecorino romano cheese.
If you’re not comfortable with the double boiler method, you may also transfer the cooked pasta and vegetables to a casserole dish, top with browned butter and cheeses and bake until the cheese is melted.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Inactive Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Boil, Steam
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅙ of pasta
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 650mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 69g
- Fiber: 9g
- Protein: 18g
- Cholesterol: 66mg
Sounds delicious, definitely making this one! I will use store bought pasta to make it a quick meal.