Flavors · Cortina d'Ampezzo

Casunziei ampezzani

Half-moons of fresh pasta filled with beet and potato, seasoned with melted butter, poppy seeds and cheese. They are the typical pasta of Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the Dolomites.

Traditional dish from Cortina d'Ampezzo, Vêneto

Also known as: casunziei, casunziei rosc, casunziei alle rape rosse, casonziei

Updated November 2026

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Casunziei ampezzani — Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy — Casunziei ampezzani

Casunziei ampezzani — Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy

Casunziei are small egg-based fresh pasta dumplings, rolled out very thin and cut into discs, then folded into half-moons. The best-known Cortina version, casunziei rosc — red — has a filling of beet and potato, sometimes with turnip; the color of the filling shows through the pasta after cooking. There is also a green version, made with spinach and herbs.

After boiling in salted water, they are served with melted butter, grated cheese and poppy seeds, which add a crunchy touch. In some places, smoked ricotta is used instead of cheese.

The name comes from Ladin, the language spoken in the valleys around the Sella massif and in Cortina d'Ampezzo, and is related to other stuffed pastas of northern Italy. Traditionally, the filling changed with the seasons according to what the garden offered: herbs in spring and summer, from March to August; pumpkin in autumn, from September to November; beet in winter, from December to February.

Casunziei appear on the menus of Cortina’s restaurants and mountain huts as one of the dishes of the Ampezzo tradition, alongside pappardelle with venison ragù and canederli.

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Where it comes from

Cortina d'Ampezzo , Vêneto
Stuffed pasta identified with the Ampezzo and Ladin cuisine of Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Ingredients

Flour and eggs in the dough; beet, potato and sometimes turnip in the filling; butter, poppy seeds and grated cheese or smoked ricotta for seasoning.

How it is eaten

As a first course, served hot, drizzled with melted butter, poppy seeds and cheese.

When it is eaten

All year round, especially in winter, from December to February, when the beet version is most traditional.

Your questions

Questions about Casunziei ampezzani

What goes into the filling of casunziei ampezzani?

In the best-known version: beet and potato, sometimes with turnip.

How are casunziei served?

With melted butter, poppy seeds and grated cheese.

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