Octopus Pasta (Tinned Octopus Ragu with Pappardelle)

I spent my 12th anniversary traipsing through Bologna, Florence, Venice, and Tuscany, and octopus ragu kept showing up on menus. Every time I tried to order it, the answer was the same: out of season. I left Italy without a single bite.

The idea wouldn't leave me alone, though. And you know what's never out of season? Tinned fish. So when a tinned fish company sent me a box with a few tins of gorgeous sliced octopus in olive oil, I knew exactly what I was making. This octopus pasta turned out even better than I'd hoped. It's rich, silky, and on the table in 30 minutes, because the octopus is already cooked. It's special enough for a holiday table or Sunday supper, and quick enough for date night at home.

If Italian seafood in red sauce is your love language, don't miss my Italian stuffed calamari. And if you'd like to see octopus at its smoky, charred best, try my Greek Grilled Octopus.

Why This Recipe Works

It's built like a classic bolognese: soffritto, tomato paste, wine, then the protein. Cooking the tomato paste down builds deep flavor quickly, and the wine reduction helps pull everything stuck to the pot back into the sauce. Together they give it flavor and body without stock, which I tested and cut.

The oil from the tin starts the soffritto, so the octopus flavors the sauce from the first step. And because the octopus is already cooked, it only goes in for the last minute, just long enough to take on the sauce. Nothing simmers for hours, and the octopus never turns tough.

Ingredients for Octopus Pasta

Tinned octopus. The octopus is cooked, so it's tender and ready to eat as soon as you open it. Buy tins packed in olive oil, and save the oil: two tins give you about 5 ½ to 6 tablespoons, and that's what you cook the soffritto in. Two 4-ounce tins feed 3 to 4 people, which surprised me too. I chop mine to about ¼ inch, a little bigger than the vegetables, which gives an almost bolognese-like sauce. If you'd rather see the octopus, leave the pieces in the rounds they come in.

Onion, carrot, and celery. Finely diced and cooked slowly in oil, this trio is called soffritto. It's the flavor base of a classic Italian ragu.

Tomato paste. Four tablespoons might look like a lot, but it's the base of the sauce, not a supporting player.

Wine. Dry white or red. I tested both and they were both excellent. White keeps the sauce brighter and lets the octopus come through. Red makes it deeper and richer. Dealer's choice.

Pappardelle. Any pasta shape works, so use what you love. Tagliatelle is the traditional shape for bolognese, and I often reach for it. But I'll always love the chewy texture and luxurious look of pappardelle.

A Few Things That'll Make This Easier

Chop the octopus while the soffritto cooks. It fits in that window, so it adds no time.

Keep extra tin oil on hand. The oil cooks down as the fish juices evaporate, so you can end up with less in the pan than you started with. Add another tablespoon or two if the pan looks dry.

Pull the pasta 2 minutes early. It finishes cooking in the sauce, where it absorbs flavor and comes up to al dente.

Scoop out a full cup of pasta water. The recipe uses ¾ cup, but keep the extra in case the sauce feels tight at the end.

Season lightly at the start, then taste at the end. The tins, the pasta water, and the Parmesan all bring their own salt, so add any more only once everything's together.

How to Make Octopus Pasta

1. Cook the pasta

Boil the pappardelle for 2 minutes shy of al dente. Save a cup of the pasta water, then drain and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.

2. Build the soffritto

Cook the onion, carrot, and celery in the tin oil until soft and lightly colored. Some pans leave sticky browning on the bottom and some don't. Either way is fine. While the soffritto is cooking, dice your octopus.

3. Cook down the tomato paste

Stir in the tomato paste and keep it going until it turns brick red. The oil will separate from the paste and the pan will start to sizzle. That's what you want.

4. Deglaze with wine

Pour in the wine and scrape up everything stuck to the bottom. Let it simmer for about a minute so the wine reduces.

5. Add the octopus

The sauce will be very thick at this point, closer to chili than pasta sauce. Don't panic. It loosens up in the next step.

6. Toss with the pasta

Add the pasta and pasta water and toss over low heat until the sauce clings and the pasta is al dente. Stir in the Parmesan and basil, then taste.

7. Serve

Finish with extra basil and Parmesan.

Can I use Costco cooked octopus instead of tinned?

Yes. Pre-cooked octopus tentacles work great here, and they're easy to find. Costco carries them, and I've also seen them at Walmart and lots of Asian grocers. Use about 6 ounces, chopped the same way. You won't have tin oil, so start the soffritto with 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. These poached tentacles benefit from a few more minutes simmering in the sauce.

Can I use fresh octopus?

You can, but then it's no longer a 30-minute dinner. Raw octopus has to be poached until tender first, which takes well over an hour. You'll find full instructions in the notes of my Greek Grilled Octopus. Once it's poached, treat it like pre-cooked octopus: about 6 ounces, chopped, with olive oil in place of tin oil.

What pasta goes best with octopus?

Any shape works, so use your favorite. Pappardelle and tagliatelle are my go-tos. If you're using fresh pasta, it only needs 2 to 3 minutes, so pull it a minute earlier than you would dried pasta.

What else can I serve octopus ragu over?

Creamy polenta! Cook it separately and spoon the octopus sauce over the top. Since you won't have pasta water to add to the ragu (but you also won't have any pasta you'll need to finish cooking in it!), stir hot water into the ragu just a splash at a time, with a pinch of salt, until the sauce is loose enough to spoon. That's usually about ½ cup water total.

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