Agnolotti del Plin (Piedmontese Pinched Pasta with Sage Butter)
Tiny pinched parcels of fresh pasta stuffed with roast pork and savoy cabbage, tossed in sage butter, a Piedmont classic.
Made with Fresh egg pasta dough. Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time1 hr 45
- LevelHard
- Costabout £2.04 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Season the pork and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, turning, until cooked through with no pink in the middle. Rest for 10 minutes, then chop very finely.
15 min - 2
Blanch the cabbage in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, drain, cool and squeeze very dry, then chop finely.
3 min - 3
Mix the pork, cabbage, parmesan, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper into a thick, even paste. Chill for 30 minutes.
- 4
Make the fresh egg pasta dough (see the base recipe), rest it and roll it into long sheets about 1 mm thick. Keep the second sheet covered.
- 5
Pipe or spoon small hazelnut sized mounds of filling in a line along one edge of a sheet, about 2 cm apart. Fold the pasta over the line of filling. Pinch the pasta firmly between each mound (this is the plin, which means pinch in Piedmontese dialect), then cut between the pinches with a pasta wheel and trim the edge.
- 6
Set the agnolotti on a tray dusted with semolina. Cook in gently boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes, until they float and are tender.
2 min 30 s - 7
Melt the butter in a wide pan until foaming and nutty, add the sage and cook for 30 seconds. Lift the agnolotti into the butter with a slotted spoon, add a spoonful of pasta water and toss gently. Serve with extra parmesan.
Tips
- Squeeze the cabbage as dry as you can. Wet filling makes the pasta soggy and burst while it cooks.
- Keep the sheet moist but not wet. If the pasta is dry the pinches will not stick, so dab with a fingertip of water.
- Roll the pasta very thin for this shape. Agnolotti should be delicate, with the pinched seams almost see through.
Storing and freezing
Uncooked agnolotti keep on a floured tray in the fridge, loosely covered, for 1 day. Freeze on a tray until firm, bag for up to 1 month and cook from frozen, adding 1 minute. Eat cooked agnolotti the same day.
Questions
What is the plin in agnolotti del plin?
Plin is the Piedmontese word for a pinch. It describes the way the cook pinches the folded pasta between mounds of filling to seal each little parcel.
Can I use roast beef or veal?
Yes. Traditional fillings use leftover roast meats such as pork, veal and rabbit. Use about 300 g of any cooked roast meat, chopped very finely, and keep the cabbage and parmesan.
Can I serve them in a sauce?
Yes. Sage butter is classic, but they are also served with the juices from a roast, or simply with a little olive oil and parmesan.
More made with fresh egg pasta dough
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
