A classic Neapolitan comfort dish: pasta cooked directly with potatoes until creamy and rich, flavored with a simple soffritto, rosemary, tomato paste, and a Parmesan rind. Traditionally it’s made with pasta mista—a mix of leftover pasta shapes—because the recipe was born as a way to use up what you had on hand. Even though in Italy you can buy ready-made pasta mista, any short pasta works perfectly, true to the original spirit of making it with whatever is in the pantry.

Ingredients

• 400 g mixed pasta (pasta mista)
• 750 g potatoes, peeled and cut into uneven 2 cm chunks
• 150 g celery, finely chopped
• 150 g carrots, finely chopped
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 130 g lard, sliced then finely chopped
• 20 g tomato paste
• 1 small sprig rosemary
• 1 Parmesan rind (scraped and rinsed)
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and black pepper
• Hot water (about 850 g to start, more if needed)

Directions

1. Prep the vegetables. Finely chop the celery, carrots, and onion. Peel the potatoes and cut into irregular chunks (about 2 cm). Chop the lard.
2. Render the lard. In a casserole or heavy pot, warm a drizzle of olive oil. Add the lard and cook gently for a few minutes to render.
3. Soffritto. Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for a few minutes over low heat, stirring.
4. Add potatoes and aromatics. Add the potatoes and let them pick up flavor for a few minutes, stirring so the bottom doesn’t catch. Add the rosemary and the Parmesan rind. Stir in the tomato paste.
5. First simmer. Pour in 600 g hot water, season with salt and pepper, cover, and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Add a little more hot water if it dries out too much.
6. Make it creamy. Once the potatoes are soft, mash some of them against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon to thicken the base.
7. Cook the pasta in the pot. Add the mixed pasta, then immediately add 250 g hot water and bring back to a boil. Cook, stirring often. Add more hot water as needed—little by little.
8. Finish texture. The final result should be creamy but almost dry (not soupy). Remove the rosemary and the Parmesan rind. Taste and adjust salt.
9. Serve. Plate and finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.