Penne with potatoes, cabbage, butter and cheese by Rachel Roddy

Rachel Roddy shares a recipe for penne with potatoes, cabbage, butter and cheese; La Cucina Italiana ranked penne second among Italians' favourite pasta shapes in 2023.

This article presents Rachel Roddy’s recipe for penne with potatoes, cabbage, butter and cheese. The dish adapts a method inspired by pizzoccheri della Valtellina. La Cucina Italiana’s 2023 ranking, based on Unione Italiana Food data processed with NielsenIQ, placed penne second among Italians’ favourite shapes. The writer notes the recipe is a regular household favourite and good value. Key details: - La Cucina Italiana ranked spaghetti first and penne second, and those two shapes accounted for 78% of pasta sales in Italy in 2023. - The recipe serves four and lists 400–500 g short pasta (penne, fusilli, radiatori), two medium potatoes (peeled and cut into 5 mm cubes), half a small savoy cabbage, 75 g butter, one garlic clove, and 4–6 tbsp grated Parmesan or Grana Padano. - Method overview: pasta and potatoes are boiled together, cabbage is added near the end, and melted butter with a squashed garlic clove is combined with grated cheese and pasta water to coat the dish. - The writer recommends serving the dish as soon as possible after mixing and passing extra grated cheese and optional red chilli flakes at the table. - The recipe is explicitly adapted from the alpine pizzoccheri technique but uses common short-pasta shapes. Summary: The piece adapts a traditional alpine technique into an accessible short-pasta dish that the author says is a weekly favourite. Undetermined at this time.