Agnolotti

Ingredient

What it is

Piedmont's stuffed pasta: small pockets — often rectangular or square — made by folding a single sheet of egg pasta over the filling (not sandwiching two sheets like ravioli). The classic filling is roast meat (ripieno di arrosto), built from leftover braised and roasted meats.

How it's made

A strip of egg-pasta sfoglia is dotted with filling, folded over, and sealed, then cut into pockets. The celebrated agnolotti del plin ("pinch") are tiny versions sealed by pinching the dough between fillings — a Langhe and Monferrato specialty. Fresh; boiled briefly. The single-fold construction is the structural signature.

Flavor profile

A concentrated, savory roast-meat filling (enriched by the braising juices) in a fine egg wrapper; deeply Piedmontese — rich, meaty, refined.

Culinary uses

Dressed with the roasting juices (al sugo d'arrosto), butter and sage, or famously served al tovagliolo — "on the napkin," sauceless, eaten by hand to showcase the filling. A Sunday and special-occasion primo of the Piedmontese table.

Regional variations

Agnolotti del plin (Langhe/Monferrato) — tiny, pinched, the prestige version.
Fillings vary with the local braise; some add cabbage, spinach, or rabbit. Larger square agnolotti exist too.

Cultural & historical context

Agnolotti is born of Piedmontese thrift and refinement — a way to repurpose precious roast meats into an elegant filled pasta — and is inseparable from the region's wine-and-braise culture (Barolo, brasato). The plin tradition, pinched by hand and served on a napkin, is one of Italy's most cherished pasta rituals.

Reference notes

Tags: italian, egg-pasta, stuffed, filled, fresh, single-fold, piedmontese, north-italian, roast-meat-filling
Base: soft wheat ("00") + egg wrapper; arrosto (roast-meat) filling
Related ingredients: braised/roast meat, butter, sage, roasting jus, Barolo
Related cuisines: Italian (Piedmont)
Suggested Cuisinopedia links: → Ravioli (two-sheet cousin), → Agnolotti del Plin (variant deep-dive), → Brasato al Barolo (companion dish)

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Cuisines

Italian