Paccheri pasta stuffed with sausage and mushrooms

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PRESENTATION

Paccheri pasta stuffed with sausage and mushrooms

This is one of Italy’s most succulent baked pasta dishes and has all the ingredients for a truly unforgettable meal: paccheri pasta stuffed with sausage and mushrooms! The creaminess of the cheese and béchamel sauce, the appetizing taste of the sausage and mushrooms, the impeccable spoked arrangement in the baking tin… a tasty, flavor-packed dish that takes a little time, like all classic Italian home-cooked dishes, but all your efforts will be repaid when you bear this delicacy triumphantly to the table. This pasta shape is ideal for filling and each little cylinder will release a delectable burst of flavor in the mouth. We have used the same tasty trick for other recipes such as stuffed pasta shells (conchiglioni). Whether you’re feeding friends or making a family Sunday lunch, stuffed paccheri pasta will get top billing on your menu. We're sure everyone will beg you for the recipe… and the more refined version of the dish with salt cod on cheese fondue is ideal for a special holiday treat!

INGREDIENTS

Paccheri pasta 14 oz (400 g)
Champignon mushrooms 1 lb (450 g)
Sausage 11 oz (300 g)
Cow's milk ricotta cheese 1 ¾ cup (400 g)
Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.3 cups (150 g)
Leeks 1
Garlic 1 clove
White wine ¼ cup (50 g)
Extra virgin olive oil 4 tbsp
Triple concentrated tomato paste 1 tbsp
Thyme 3 sprigs
Fine salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
For the béchamel sauce
Whole milk ¾ cup (200 g)
Butter 1 ½ tbsp (20 g)
Flour 00 2 tbsp (15 g)
Nutmeg 1 pinch
Fine salt to taste
For the topping
Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese to taste - grated
Preparation

How to prepare Paccheri pasta stuffed with sausage and mushrooms

To make paccheri pasta stuffed with sausage and mushrooms, wash, trim and slice the leek 1. Then clean the mushrooms, remove any remaining soil with a slightly damp cloth as instructed in our “how to clean mushrooms” practical guide, and dice them finely 2. Add the olive oil and the whole garlic clove to a large saucepan, tip in the sliced leek 3 and soften over low heat for at least 10 minutes. 

While the leeks are cooking, remove the sausage skins, crumble them 4, and add to the pan 5 when the leeks are soft. Brown the sausage over low heat, turning frequently, then add the white wine 6

Allow this to evaporate for a few moments, then add the tomato concentrate 7 and mushrooms 8. Cook over high heat for 10 minutes, then add the salt and pepper and remove the garlic clove 9.

Before turning off the heat, make sure that the mixture in the pan is dry, then season with salt, pepper, and thyme 10. Leave everything to cool. Prepare a fairly runny béchamel sauce by melting the butter in a pan 11, adding the flour 12,

stirring until the mixture is lightly browned and adding the hot milk 13. Stir well until the béchamel sauce begins to bubble, then add salt and powdered nutmeg 14. When the béchamel sauce has thickened slightly, turn off the heat 15. Place a saucepan full of salted water on the heat and bring to a boil. This will be used to cook the paccheri pasta.

Meanwhile, transfer the ricotta to a bowl, add ¾ cup (80 g) of Parmigiano Reggiano DOP cheese 16 and the leek, sausage, and mushroom mixture 17, stir and add salt if necessary 18

Place the mixture into a pastry bag without a nozzle 19. Boil the paccheri pasta in plenty of salted water 20, draining them when they are half cooked. Lightly oil to stop them from sticking together 21 (be careful not to break them).

Spread half of the béchamel sauce over the bottom of a round ovenproof dish (or baking tin) with a base diameter of 9 inches (22 cm) 22 and arrange the paccheri pasta next to one another in concentric circles, starting from the outer perimeter of the ovenproof dish and working inwards until the layer is complete 23. Transfer the mushroom and sausage mixture to the pastry bag 24 and use it to fill the paccheri.

Sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano DOP cheese 25, then add the rest of the béchamel sauce 26 and a few thyme leaves. Bake the stuffed paccheri in a preheated oven at 350°F (180°C) for approximately 25 minutes + 5 minutes broiling under the grill to brown the surface. Take the paccheri pasta stuffed with sausage and mushrooms out of the oven, leave to settle for 5-10 minutes, and then serve 27!

Storage

You can keep the paccheri pasta stuffed with sausage and mushrooms for a couple of days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing.

Tips

For an even fuller flavor, you can add red instead of white wine to the sausage and use ewe’s milk ricotta for the filling.

You can vary the paccheri filling according to the season, using pumpkin, artichokes, radicchio, eggplant, or zucchini!