Agnolotti recipe

If you ask ten Piedmontese cooks what agnolotti are, you will get twelve answers. Agnolotti can be small or large; square or rectangular; pinched or not; served in broth, melted butter, al tovagliolo (on a napkin without sauce), or with roast juices; and stuffed with meat, green vegetables or a mixture of both. Trying to define a single “authentic” agnolotto is like trying to define a single “authentic” lasagna – good luck doing that without starting a fight in Bologna.

However, there are models. In the hills of the Langhe and Monferrato, Barolo country, the form most closely associated with the name is the agnolotti del plin. Plin means “pinch” in the Piedmont dialect and refers to the shaping technique: long sheets of pasta are folded over a line of filling, then pinched occasionally before being separated with a pastry wheel. This is one of Italy’s most efficient dumpling designs, producing dozens in a row without having to cut them individually. If you’ve ever spent an afternoon making ravioli, the Piedmontese plin method seems like a fast-paced, simpler alternative.

My recipe below follows the tradition of Langa style: a finely ground cooked filling of braised meat and greens, wrapped in thin sheets of egg dough and shaped with the classic pinch of plin.

Agnolotti through the regional prism

What becomes clear when looking through historical Piedmontese cookbooks, like the ones this recipe is based on, is that agnolotti were not invented to be a singular, codified thing. They were a practical solution to the question “What do we do with yesterday’s roast?” » This meant that they evolved differently in each valley and village, depending on the meats, greens and cheeses available. Some older recipes include rabbit, pork shoulder, sweetbreads, calf’s brains and even donkey. Many mix meats with green vegetables like cabbage, spinach or chard. Some call for a hint of tomato; others insist that the tomato never belongs near the garnish.

Interestingly, fresh pasta recipes also have variations: some use only eggs; others enrich with a little wine or oil; some add extra yolks; some keep the dough lean. But across these recipes, you start to see recurring ratios by volume or weight — about 100 grams of flour per egg, give or take — which produces a soft dough thin enough for the pinched, folded structure of the plin.

Despite the dizzying variety, Piedmontese cooks agree on a few fundamental principles. The filling should be consistent, neither runny nor thick. The pasta should be a soft wheat pasta enriched with eggs, similar to the region’s other famous fresh pasta, tajarin. And it has to be thin. Very thin. The shaping technique relies on this finesse: if the sheet is too thick, folding it over the filling creates a double layer so bulky that it becomes gummy when cooked, and the dough/filling ratio is unbalanced. A thin sheet folds neatly, seals easily with light pressure, and lets the filling dominate instead of being smothered in the dough.

When you cut between the pinches with a spline wheel, each pellet bends slightly on itself, creating the plump, curved shape that defines the plinth. This pinch is both decorative and structural. Pinch too lightly and you risk leaks. Pinch too hard and the dough will tear.

Build the Fill

While many Langhe and Monferrato versions historically relied on leftover roasts for garnish, this recipe intentionally creates those flavors from scratch by using prime rib for their rich meaty flavor. They’re braised with savoy cabbage, onion, garlic, rosemary, red wine and stock, flavorings that appear again and again in Piedmontese recipes. Cabbage, in particular, is a classic winter addition and softens into the meat, providing softness and moisture without making the filling loose.

After cooking, the mixture is ground until it achieves the fine texture that most Piedmontese recipes emphasize. Traditional cooks used a mezzaluna or meat grinder and passed the mixture until it resembled a pâté. I use a food processor for convenience, but the goal is the same: to produce a filling that drains cleanly and holds its shape while cooking. Grana Padano, an egg and a touch of nutmeg complete the mixture, giving it structure and rounding out the flavor.

How to shape Agnolotti del Plin

For anyone unfamiliar with this formatting method, the plin can seem intimidating at first. But with just a little practice, you’ll find your rhythm and realize how surprisingly effective it is.

Cut a sheet of pasta to a consistent width, draw a straight line of filling down the center, then fold the bottom edge up. Seal lightly, just enough so the dough sticks to itself, then pinch at one-inch intervals to create individual pockets. If your nips end up being slightly smaller or bigger, don’t worry. There is no “correct” size. As long as your dough is rolled to a uniform thinness and the filling is evenly distributed, the agnolotti will cook at the same rate.

A confident rolling of the pastry wheel between each pinch separates the dumplings and folds them in one motion. This is an incredibly quick way to produce a large quantity of stuffed pasta.

How to sauce and serve

Agnolotti are traditionally served in a way that highlights the filling rather than overshadowing it. Popular options include:

• with roast juice (sugo d’arrosto),
• with browned butter and sage,
• in broth,
• or al tovagliolo—literally “on the napkin”, that is to say on a hot cloth without sauce, a minimalist presentation which highlights the pasta and the garnish,
• and, when the season permits (and the wallet permits), with shavings of white truffle.

My version nods to the hazelnut heritage of Piedmont, home of tonda gentile delle langhe, by finishing the brown butter pasta with toasted hazelnuts and a little red wine vinegar. The vinegar enhances the richness of the beef, creating a bright meaty flavor.

This recipe is fully in line with the Piedmontese tradition: fine soft wheat dough rich in eggs; a cooked, finely ground garnish balancing meat and greens; a shaping method that produces small, efficient pellets; and a simple sauce that amplifies rather than competes. It is not a replica of the pasta of a particular trattoria, but an undeniable part of the entire lineage.