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!