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Ricotta and basil filled paccheri pasta with homemade tomato sauce

Pasta, tomatoes and ricotta are the main ingredients in this simple but delicious Southern Italian filled paccheri recipe. 

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 547 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 12-16 paccheri ridged or smooth
  • 500 g tomatoes (17oz) San Marzano or Piccadilly are good tomatoes to use
  • 2 garlic cloves peeled
  • 300 g tomato passata (10 oz) I prefer Cirio'rustico' which is chunkier
  • 3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • peperoncino flakes as required
  • salt for pasta and to taste
  • black pepper to taste
For filling
  • 400 g fresh ricotta (14oz)
  • 1 handful basil leaves
  • 50 g Parmigiano Reggiano or grana (2oz) grated

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again.
Make tomato sauce
    Cup of Yum
  1. Peel the garlic. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water and peel them. Cut into smaller pieces.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet. Add the garlic cloves. When they start to soften add the chopped tomatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes soften then add the passata and peperoncino (if using). 
  3. Stir and simmer on a medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and remove the garlic when the sauce is ready.
Make the filling
  1. While the sauce is cooking, make the filling. Put the ricotta in a bowl with most of the basil torn into pieces (don’t use a metal knife on basil as it will turn brown) Mash the ricotta with a fork or use a hand held blender until the ricotta is quite creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
  2. If your ricotta seems to have a lot of liquid, drain it through a muslin or cotton cloth before making the filling.
Finish the dish
  1. Cook the paccheri al dente and drain. Run some cold water over the pasta to stop it cooking further and to make it easier to fill. Spread some of the tomato sauce over the bottom of an oven dish. 
  2. Use a teaspoon or piping bag to fill each pasta tube. Then place the paccheri side by side in the oven dish on the tomato sauce. 
  3. Once you have filled all the paccheri, sprinkle with some grated parmigiano and bake for 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 until the ricotta and parmigiano start to melt. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with more of the tomato sauce.

Notes

  • To save time you can make this recipe with a ready-made tomato sauce. However, I think homemade is always worth the bit of extra time it takes.
  • This recipe can be made with other pasta tubes such as rigatoni but they aren't as big as paccheri and are more difficult to fill.

Nutrition Information

Calories 547kcal (27%) Carbohydrates 51g (17%) Protein 24g (48%) Fat 28g (43%) Saturated Fat 12g (60%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 12g Cholesterol 60mg (20%) Sodium 315mg (13%) Potassium 857mg (24%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 9g (18%) Vitamin A 1993IU (40%) Vitamin C 26mg (29%) Calcium 395mg (40%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 547

% Daily Value*

Calories 547kcal 27%
Carbohydrates 51g 17%
Protein 24g 48%
Fat 28g 43%
Saturated Fat 12g 60%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 12g 60%
Cholesterol 60mg 20%
Sodium 315mg 13%
Potassium 857mg 18%
Fiber 5g 20%
Sugar 9g 18%
Vitamin A 1993IU 40%
Vitamin C 26mg 29%
Calcium 395mg 40%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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