Creamy pasta with potatoes and provola is a budget-friendly but very tasty and appetizing first course that pleases both children and adults. It’s a vegetarian soup that’s perfect for enjoying on colder days, especially in winter.
At my home, we love this dish, and I often make it with different pasta shapes or with rice, and it’s always appreciated by everyone. In short, a good dish that warms the heart.
I’ve taken advantage of this period of declining temperatures to serve this warm and steaming dish once again!
Just like any traditional recipe, there are different versions. Some prefer it without tomato, some like it more soupy, and many add bacon or pork rind to the sauté for an extra touch of flavor.
Here’s my version with sautéed onion, carrots, tomato, and provola; try it, it’s really good both for lunch or dinner!
TRY THESE RECIPES AS WELL
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Budget-Friendly
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients for Creamy Pasta with Potatoes and Provola
- 3 potatoes (large)
- 1 red onion (small)
- 1 carrot (small)
- Half celery stalk
- 5 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 5.3 oz short pasta
- as needed vegetable broth
- as needed salt
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- 2.8 oz provola cheese
- 1.4 oz Grana Padano DOP (grated)
- as needed parsley
Tools
- 1 Pot
- Stove
- 1 Ladle
Preparation for Creamy Pasta with Potatoes and Provola
To prepare this recipe, start by washing and peeling the potatoes and carrot, also clean the celery and peel the onion.
Take a pan or pot, add the onion, carrot, celery, and half of a finely chopped potato, add the olive oil and sauté everything for about 2 minutes.Dice the rest of the potatoes and add them to the sauté, cook them for a few minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, add the tomato sauce, stir and mix well with the potatoes, cover with vegetable broth or water, season with salt and cook for about 20 minutes.
Stir occasionally and check if more broth is needed, cook until the potatoes are well cooked and tender.
After the first 20 minutes of cooking, add the short pasta, I used rigatoni, add more hot water or vegetable broth and continue cooking, adjust the salt and stir occasionally, cook for the pasta’s cooking time, about another 10 minutes.
At the end of cooking, the pasta should be creamy and not liquid, turn off the stove, then add chopped parsley, a handful of grated Parmesan cheese, and provola cut into small pieces.
Stir and mix the pasta well, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, serve hot on plates… and enjoy your meal!
Tips and Variations
You can vary the recipe by adding diced bacon to the sauté and Parmesan cheese rinds during cooking. You can also use smoked provola.
The short pasta can be replaced with mixed pasta pieces or rice.
Also read simple pasta and potatoes recipe!
