Caccavelle alla sorrentina
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: 60 min
- Cook time: 60 min
- Serving: 4
- Cost: Low
- Note + 40 min of baking time in the oven
PRESENTATION
Big, bubbly pasta shells overflowing with flavor—Caccavelle alla Sorrentina brings the best of Neapolitan cooking right to your dinner table. Every serving of this baked pasta dish delivers an eye-catching presentation with large, round shells stuffed till full and covered in a simple tomato sauce. Families love how each bite mixes soft, stretchy mozzarella with a hot, creamy ricotta filling, making the whole dish taste downright COMFORTING and good. The melty cheese, familiar tomato flavors, and warm, golden top work great for Sunday dinners, special occasions, or eating together at home—practically MADE for gathering family around the table. Because this is classic Campanian cuisine, you’ll get that traditional Italian pasta experience, but with a little more fun (that cheesy pull is always a happy surprise!). Busy families know it stands out at parties or potlucks...kids get a kick out of those overstuffed shells and finding extra pools of sauce on their plates.
This Italian stuffed pasta stands out as both hearty and flexible—you can enjoy it solo as a main or set it out with other favorites for an Italian feast that covers all the bases. Home cooks find it reliable since the layered, CHEESY inside usually means everyone goes back for more (even the picky eaters). DEEPLY flavorful, but always easy to personalize—swap in extra cheeses or sneak in little bits of veggies—Caccavelle alla Sorrentina keeps the crowd happy. It shows off at parties, works for family reunions, and feels fancy enough for big holiday spreads, yet simple enough to earn a spot in regular family meals. Try serving this baked pasta dinner with garlic bread, a nice green salad (really good for balance), or just on its own—the kids will argue for seconds! Since it’s rooted in Italian home-cooking and shares that rich, tangy taste of mozzarella and ricotta in every bite, it’s one of those comfort dinners that just makes people feel cared for. Families keep coming back for the flavor, texture, and those great, gooey layers...pretty much everything you want in a cozy homemade pasta dish.
INGREDIENTS
- For 4 caccavelle
- Caccavelle pasta 4 - (di gragnano)
- Extra virgin olive oil 3 spoonfuls -
- Fine salt to taste
- Basil to taste -
- Mozzarella cheese 7 oz (200 g)
- Cow's milk ricotta cheese 0.9 cup (200 g)
- Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 4 spoonfuls - grated
- Fresh scallion 4 -
- Tomato purée 4 ¼ cups (1 l)
- For the white ragù
- Pork 5.3 oz (150 g) - minced
- Sausage 3.5 oz (100 g)
- Red wine 1 glass -
- Fine salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- White onions 1.25 oz (35 g) - to chop
- Carrots 1.2 oz (35 g) - to chop
- Celery 1.2 oz (35 g) - to chop
How to prepare Caccavelle alla sorrentina
Chop the spring onions and let them soften 1 in 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over low heat for about 10-15 minutes; add the tomato passata 2, salt, and let cook for about 10 minutes on low heat, then turn off the heat as the tomato sauce should remain fluid and not thick. Add the basil leaves 3, breaking them with your fingers.
Meanwhile, put 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan and add the chopped celery, carrot, and onion 4, letting them brown over low heat. Then add the crumbled sausage and minced meat 5. Sauté the meat, trying to make it finer using a spoon to break it up while cooking. When the meat is well-browned, deglaze with the glass of wine 6, then wait for all the liquid to evaporate over very low heat. Finally, salt, pepper, and turn off the heat.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the caccavelle for 15 minutes, taking care not to let the boiling become too violent to avoid breaking them during cooking. Meanwhile, cut the mozzarella into cubes not too small 7 (about 0.75 inches per side). Once the caccavelle are drained 8, place them on a plate. Take the 4 small pans in which you will season and then cook the caccavelle, placing a small ladle of tomato sauce 9 on the bottom of each.
Place the caccavella on top, put a small ladle of tomato sauce inside 10, then 1.75 oz of crumbled ricotta 11 and a quarter of the ragù 12.
Then add 1.75 oz of mozzarella 13. Cover everything with tomato sauce 14 and sprinkle the top with a good tablespoon of grated Parmigiano Reggiano 15. Prepare all 4 small pans in the same way and then bake in a preheated oven at 392°F for about 30-40 minutes.