Pasta with hazelnut ragù

Name: Pasta with hazelnut ragù
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 100 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Penne Rigate pasta 11.3 oz; Whole peeled hazelnuts 7.1 oz; Tomato purée 3 cups; Carrots 1; Celery 1 rib; White onions 1; Red wine 0.7 glass; Sage to taste; Thyme to taste; Rosemary to taste; Bay leaves 1 leaf; Tomato paste 4 tsp; Soy sauce 4 tsp; Balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Low

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PRESENTATION

Pasta with Hazelnut Ragù turns a familiar Sunday sauce inside out: instead of meat, coarsely chopped hazelnuts go into the soffritto, where they brown and develop a deep, toasted flavor before tomato passata and aromatic herbs are added. The result is a vegetarian ragù with real body — the kind that coats pasta the way a slow-cooked meat sauce would, without any of the weight.

The texture is the genuine surprise. Keeping the hazelnuts coarsely chopped means they hold their shape through cooking, so each bite delivers both the richness of the tomato base and a slight crunch that feels autumnal and grounding. Warm and substantial, it holds its own as a cold-weather Sunday lunch — and distinctive enough to earn a permanent spot in the rotation.

How to prepare Pasta with hazelnut ragù

To prepare the pasta with hazelnut ragù, start with the aromatic base. Peel the onion and cut it finely into brunoise 1, then do the same with the celery 2 and with the carrot, first cutting it into sticks and then into small dice 3.

Pour a drizzle of oil into a large pot and add the brunoise of celery, carrot and onion 4. Meanwhile, coarsely chop the hazelnuts with a knife 5. Let the aromatic base soften over low heat, stirring from time to time, until the vegetables are tender and lightly golden 6.

At this point add the chopped hazelnuts to the sauté 7 and brown them well for a few minutes, stirring. Then add the tomato paste 8, mix it with the other ingredients and deglaze with the wine 9.

Let the alcohol evaporate completely. Pour in the tomato purée (passata) 10, add a pinch of salt 11 and perfume with the aromatic herbs 12.

Season the ragù with soy sauce and balsamic vinegar 13, then adjust salt and pepper. Stir and let the ragù cook over medium heat for about an hour, or until the tomato has reduced and the sauce has reached a thick consistency. Bring plenty of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta 14, draining it about 2 minutes before the time indicated on the package. Transfer it directly into the pot with the hazelnut ragù 15.

Continue cooking the pasta in the sauce, adding a little of its cooking water if necessary 16, and stir well to combine everything 17. Finally turn off the heat, finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and serve the pasta with hazelnut ragù hot 18.