Stuffed Paccheri Pasta Bake
I only recently discovered Paccheri noodles, and they're quickly becoming one of my absolute faves. I came up with the idea of stuffing them, much like you would cannelloni or jumbo shells, and it was fan-freaking-tastic. Spicy red sauce, ricotta & cottage cheese filling, and melty mozz, baked to golden perfectsch.
PREP TIME
40 minutes
COOK TIME
1 hour and 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
28
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 40 whole40 whole40 whole Paccheri Pasta, Dry Noodles
- 1 cup1 cup1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, Pizza Mozz, shredded
- 475 grams475 grams475 grams Ricotta, Full Fat
- 0.25 cup0.25 cup0.25 cup Cottage Cheese, 4%, full fat
- 2 cloves2 cloves2 cloves Garlic, crushed & minced
- 1 whole1 whole1 whole Egg, Large, free-range
- .5 cup.5 cup.5 cup Grana Padano Cheese, finely shredded
- .25 cup.25 cup.25 cup Parsley, finely chopped
- .5 whole.5 whole.5 whole Lemon, zest only
- .5 tsp.5 tsp.5 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt
- .5 tsp.5 tsp.5 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 3 pinch3 pinch3 pinch Nutmeg, Ground, a few dashes
- 1 whole1 whole1 whole Black Peppercorns, Ground Fresh, To Taste
- 0.25 cup0.25 cup0.25 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 cloves3 cloves3 cloves Garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp1 tsp1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 whole1 whole1 whole Yellow Onion, diced
- 2 whole2 whole2 whole Celery, diced
- 1 whole1 whole1 whole Carrots, peeled & diced
- 1 whole1 whole1 whole Red Bell Pepper, diced
- 1 Tbsp1 Tbsp1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 0.666 cup0.666 cup0.666 cup White Wine, I used Pinot Grigio
- 796 ml796 ml796 ml San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes, Canned
- 6 pieces6 pieces6 pieces Basil, Fresh, a small handful
- .5 tsp.5 tsp.5 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt, More To Taste
- 1 whole1 whole1 whole Black Peppercorns, Ground Fresh, To Taste
FILLING
SAUCE
Process
Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results
- SAUCE - Begin heating the EVOO, garlic, and pepper flakes, in a large skillet set to just about medium heat. Once that starts sizzling, stir and let that go for about a minute and a half. Add the onion, pepper, celery, and carrot, along with a good pinch of both salt & pepper. Stir and let those veggies cook for about 8 - 10 minutes. Pour in the wine and stir in the tomato paste. Let that simmer until reduced by about half or so. Pour in the tomatoes, rinsing out the can and pouring that water in to the skillet as well. Break up the whole tomatoes a bit in the skillet as it comes to temperature. Once it starts bubbling away, add the 1/2 tsp. salt and a small handful of fresh basil leaves. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 25 minutes. Carefully blend using a vortex blender or immersion blender until smooth. Leave on low.
- Bring a large pot of cold, heavily salted water to a boil. Once your sauce is simmering, boil the paccheri noodles and remove them about one or two minutes before al dente as they will continue to cook in the oven. Once strained, do not rinse, simply arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment to allow them to cool without rinsing the starches off.
- FILLING - Combine all of the ingredients and mix together until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a piping bag (in batches likely) with a large, open tip.
- ASSEMBLY - Preheat your oven to 375 F. Spray your baking dish with cooking spray and ladle enough sauce in to the bottom of the dish to coat nicely. Starting in the corner, place a noodle upright in the dish and fill it with the piping bag directly in the dish. Continue until all of your noodles are filled and the dish is full of stuffed noods. Ladle some sauce over the dish and top with the shredded mozzarella.
- Bake uncovered for 40 - 45 minutes until bubbly and golden brown on top. Check the notes for alternative baking method. Carefully remove the dish and place it on a cooling rack. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
- Cut in to 4 equal sized pieces and serve. Spoon some sauce in to the center of your plates and nestle your servings in to the sauce. Garnish with grana padano, parsley, and basil. ENJOY!
- Reserved sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days, or the freezer for 3ish months.
Notes
- I originally wanted to bake this in a 7" x 11" dish. However, once I started filling the noodles, I realized I didn't have enough filling. I ended up using a square 8" x 8" dish which was just right.
- I suggested 40 noodles just in case a few break. You'll likely end up filling around 35 in total.
- It doesn't look like a lot, but I was able to get 4 pretty decent sized servings. Serve them up with good bread and some green salad for a complete meal.
- Because I moved the noodles to a new dish, the dish was too big for my small oven so I couldn't cover it. Ideally, you'd want to cover the dish for half the cook time but it worked out just fine without covering. The cheese on top got a little blistered, but that's honestly what held them together. Either method would work just fine!
Add a Note
My Notes:
About This Recipe
Show nutritional information
Coconut Free Entrées Nut Free Other Pescetarian Shellfish Free Sugar Alcohol Free| This is our estimate based on online research. | |
| Calories: | 549 |
| Fat: | 41 g |
| Carbohydrates: | 26 g |
| Protein: | 25 g |
| Cholesterol: | 88 g |
| Sodium: | 1012 mg |
| Fiber: | 1 g |
| Sugars: | 9 g |
| Sugar Alcohol: | 0 g |
| Calculated per serving. | |
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2 responses to “Stuffed Paccheri Pasta Bake”
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this looks and sounds absolutely divine!!
Thank you so much Pooja!