Name: Stuffed Paccheri bake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Ingredients: 3 Tbsp olive oil; 450g minced beef or plant-based alternative; 1 large onion; 3 cloves of garlic; 2 celery sticks; 2 carrots; ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional); 1 tsp dried Italian herbs; 2 Tbsp tomato purée; 1 bay leaf; 1 litre passata; 250g ricotta or plant-based alternative; 1 handful flat parsley or basil leaves; Salt&pepper; 250g Paccheri pasta

Stuffed Paccheri bake

20 Jun 2023

by Dinna

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

70 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 20 minutes

Background

Paccheri is large rigatoni shaped pasta, that can be stuffed with all sorts of fillings and baked like lasagne. This stuffed Paccheri bake has a Bolognese-like filling, which can easily be vegan, if you use plant-based ingredients. The sauce can be prepared in advance and kept refrigerated. Serve it with a crispy salad on the side. An alternative way of making this dish is to cook the pasta in water until just al-dente, cool it and stuff it. This will reduce the baking time to about 25 minutes.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp olive oil
450g minced beef or plant-based alternative
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 celery sticks
2 carrots
½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
1 tsp dried Italian herbs
2 Tbsp tomato purée
1 bay leaf
1 litre passata
250g ricotta or plant-based alternative
1 handful flat parsley or basil leaves
Salt&pepper
250g Paccheri pasta

Instructions

Finely chop the onion, garlic, carrot and celery.
Heat 1 Tbsp oil in large, heavy-based pot and brown the mince, then transfer to a bowl and discard the liquid from the pan.
Heat the remaining oil, then sautée the onion, celery and carrot bits for about 10 minutes over low heat. When they have softened, add the garlic, chilli (if used) and dried herbs, stir for a minute, then add the tomato purée and stir again for a minute. Add the passata, bay leaf, salt & pepper.
Bring to the boil, cover and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until you get a thick sauce. Remove the bay leaf, add the parsley, then purée the sauce with a stick-blender, until you get a slightly textured sauce. Add a couple of ladleful of sauce to the mince and mix well - don’t make it too runny, this will be your filling.
When you’re ready to make the bake, preheat the oven to 180°C.
Grease a deep baking dish, then spread a thin layer of the mince filling across the base. Add a thin layer of ricotta on top. Stand the pasta pieces upright into this base, very close to each other, then stuff them with the mince filling. Spread the ricotta on top of them, then pour over the tomato sauce. It should complete cover the pasta.
Cover the dish with foil and put it in the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden, testing a couple of times, if the pasta has cooked through.
Remove the foil and, if liked, add some grated cheese (mozzarella or Parmesan), or vegan alternative. Bake for another 10 minutes or so.
Serve warm.