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Home » Specific Diets » Vegetarian

Published: Jan 30, 2019 by Jacqui

Ricotta and Basil filled Paccheri Pasta


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Ricotta and Basil Filled Paccheri Pasta with Homemade Tomato Sauce.

This Southern Italian ricotta and basil filled paccheri recipe is so full of Mediterranean flavour , yet super simple to make. If you’ve never tried Neapolitan paccheri pasta before, this is a great recipe to begin with.

ricotta and basil filled paccheri pasta with homemade tomato sauce

The pasta.

Of course, this ricotta and basil filled paccheri recipe can be made with other types of pasta tubes such as rigatoni. However, if you can find paccheri, I highly recommend using it. For those who aren’t familiar with this pasta, paccheri are large pasta tubes from Southern Italy. This pasta was invented in Campania and is often called paccheri Napoletana. When buying paccheri, look out for pasta from Gragnano or Naples for the best quality.

ingredients for ricotta and basil filled paccheri pasta with homemade tomato sauce

The great thing about paccheri pasta is it can be served just boiled and dressed in a sauce, baked like in pasta al forno or filled and then baked or not. Filled and fried paccheri is also a popular Neapolitan street food! You can read more about the origins and history of paccheri if you click here.

fresh ricotta and basil in white bowl

The filling.

One of the most traditional paccheri filling ingredients is ricotta, like in this filled paccheri recipe . Italians also often add spinach to the ricotta filling. In fact, ricotta and spinach is a classic combination in the Italian kitchen. It is used to fill other pasta such as conchiglioni or cannelloni (manicotti) and also to make a type of gnocchi called gnudi or malfatti. However, there are filled paccheri recipes with other greens or herbs mixed with the ricotta. In this recipe, I have used fresh basil.

ricotta and basil filling in white bowl with piping bag and teaspoon

The filling for this recipe is very easy and requires no cooking. In Naples, they often use ricotta di bufala, made from the milk of the Italian Mediterranean buffalo. But, I couldn’t find any here. So I used cow’s milk ricotta. I suppose even sheep ricotta would work well. The important thing is that the ricotta is fresh but not too liquidy. If needs be, you can strain the ricotta through a muslin or cotton cloth to remove some of the liquid before pureeing it with the basil.

fresh tomatoes blanched in boiling water

The tomato sauce.

To speed up making this ricotta and basil filled paccheri recipe, you can of course use a ready-made tomato sauce. However,  homemade tomato sauce is always going to taste better and be healthier!  Here in Northern Italy, we are lucky that we can find great tomatoes all year round. Most of them come from Sicily, especially in the winter. In summer, we have local tomatoes everywhere (including in my garden!).

peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes in frying pan with garlic and olive oil

Many Italians also make their own ‘passata’ during the summer and use it up in the winter. Passata is basically just skinned and pureed or crushed tomatoes without any seasoning. It’s also available in all Italian supermarkets and is used in pasta sauces throughout the country. I usually make my tomato sauce using a combination of fresh tomatoes and passata.

homemade tomato sauce in frying pan

The basic Italian tomato sauce only has tomatoes and garlic which are cooked in olive oil. In this filled paccheri recipe I added some peperoncino to give it a bit of a kick. But you can leave it out, if you don’t like spicy food.

Making this ricotta and basil filled paccheri recipe.

Although this recipe involves 4 stages, it’s very easy to make and doesn’t take too long. The tomato sauce takes the longest (about 30 minutes). But, while it is cooking you can make the filling and boil the pasta. Then just fill the paccheri and bake in the oven for 10 minutes and serve.

ricotta and basil filled paccheri pasta with homemade tomato sauce

The basic ingredients are just pasta, tomatoes and ricotta with some basil, garlic and peperoncino for added flavour. Simple right? But, like so many other simple Italian pasta recipes, this is so delicious. I’m sure, you’ll find yourself coming back to it time and again!

If you do try this ricotta and basil filled paccheri recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.

Your feedback means a lot to me!

Buon Appetito!

Some other delicious paccheri recipes on The Pasta Project

  1. Paccheri with calamari and potato
  2. Mezzi paccheri with mushrooms and cream
  3. Paccheri with porcini, speck and pistachio
ricotta and basil filled paccheri pasta with homemade tomato sauce

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If you want to save this recipe for later, you can print it, bookmark this page or save it to Pinterest.

ricotta and basil filled paccheri pasta with homemade tomato sauce

Ricotta and basil filled paccheri pasta with homemade tomato sauce

Jacqueline De Bono
Pasta, tomatoes and ricotta are the main ingredients in this simple but delicious Southern Italian filled paccheri recipe. 
5 from 27 votes
Print Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Campania, Italian, Southern Italian
Servings 4

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 tbsp 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
 

  • 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

  • Peel the garlic. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water and peel them. Cut into smaller pieces.
  • 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). 
  • 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

  • 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. 
  • 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

  • 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. 
  • 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. 
  • 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.
Keyword baked pasta recipe, paccheri, ricotta, tomato sauce
Pin for Later
ricotta and basil filled paccheri pasta

More Vegetarian

  • Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe from Piemonte.
  • Sardinian Fregola with Chickpeas.
  • Pasta Cacio e Pepe
  • Drunken Spaghetti Recipe (red wine pasta)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stephanie says

    February 04, 2019 at 11:07 pm

    Yum! I love pasta in all shapes and sizes and this one is no exception! This would make a great valentine’s dinner!

    Reply
  2. Krista Price says

    February 04, 2019 at 10:01 pm

    There’s something so rustic yet elegant about Mediterranean flavors. I absolutely love every single one of your recipes!

    Reply
  3. Lathiya says

    February 04, 2019 at 9:15 pm

    Wow, i haven’t heard stuffed pasta before…this looks delicious and I love to make the sauce from scratch

    Reply
  4. Mimi says

    February 04, 2019 at 7:02 am

    I have to declare that I’ve never tried Neapolitan paccheri pasta before. Thank you for the tip – I will start my Neapolitan journey right here and right now!

    Reply
  5. April says

    February 04, 2019 at 7:00 am

    I can say with 100% certainty that I have a weakness for Mediterranean flavors. Everything about them makes me hungry. Can’t wait to try this paccheri pasta now!

    Reply
  6. Maman de sara says

    February 04, 2019 at 1:08 am

    I had to google pacchiri pasta lol! This looks delicious

    Reply
  7. Cheese Curd In Paradise says

    February 03, 2019 at 6:56 am

    Oh my! This pasta looks so good. I wish I could grab a bite with my fork thru my screen! I can’t wait to give this a try!

    Reply
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Buon giorno and welcome to my pasta project! My name is Jacqui. I’m originally a Londoner but in 2003 life’s journey brought me to the beautiful Veneto region of Italy where…

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