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Paccheri with Octopus Ragù (Italian Octopus Pasta)
Paccheri with Octopus Ragù is a rich and flavorful Italian seafood pasta made with tender octopus slowly cooked in a tomato and red wine sauce.You can think of it as a seafood version of a traditional meat ragù. The recipe starts with a classic soffritto of onion, carrot, and celery, then small pieces of octopus are added and deglazed with red wine. Tomato paste and strained tomatoes complete the sauce, which simmers gently until thick, fragrant, and full of flavor.
Ingredients
- 340 g paccheri pasta - 12 oz
- 700 g cleaned octopus - 1.5 lb
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 small onion
- 1 stalk celery
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil - plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 200 g tomato passata (strained tomatoes) - 7 oz
- 100 ml dry red wine - scant ½ cup
- fresh parsley - finely chopped, to taste
- fine salt - as needed
Instructions
- If your fishmonger has already cleaned the octopus, you can simply rinse it and cut it into pieces.If you need to clean it yourself, turn the octopus over and remove the innards from the mantle. Then remove the hard beak located in the center of the tentacles and cut away the eyes with kitchen scissors.Rinse the octopus thoroughly under cold running water, paying particular attention to the suction cups to remove any traces of sand. Once cleaned, pat it dry and proceed with the recipe.
- Separate the tentacles from the mantle. Leave the thinner ends of the tentacles whole and cut the thicker sections in half lengthwise if necessary.Cut the mantle and tentacles into small pieces, about ¾ inch (2 cm) or slightly smaller.
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large saucepan or deep skillet, preferably stainless steel or aluminum.Add the finely chopped onion, carrot, and celery, along with the peeled garlic cloves.Cook over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften. Remove the garlic.
- Add the chopped octopus and cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes. The octopus will begin to release some of its natural liquid. Stir well so that it combines with the soffritto.
- After about 2–3 minutes, pour in the red wine. Let it simmer until the alcohol has evaporated.
- Stir in the tomato paste and strained tomatoes (passata). Lower the heat, cover partially, and let the octopus ragù simmer gently for about 1 hour, or until the octopus is tender and the sauce is thick and well reduced.If the sauce becomes too dry during cooking, add a little hot water as needed.
- When the octopus ragù is almost ready, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the paccheri for about 3 minutes less than the package instructions.
- Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water, and transfer the paccheri directly to the pan with the octopus ragù.
- Add a ladleful of pasta cooking water and toss gently. Finish cooking the paccheri in the sauce over medium-high heat until al dente and well coated with the ragù.
- Turn off the heat and add the chopped fresh parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
- Toss gently, divide the paccheri among the plates, spoon some extra octopus ragù over the top, and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 100gCalories: 619kcalCarbohydrates: 79gProtein: 39gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 505mgPotassium: 1224mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 3233IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 141mgIron: 12mg
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