Conchiglioni pasta shells with tuna and ricotta.

Method8 steps · about 1 hr

1. 1

   Step 1: Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again.

   Uses Water to boil shells · Salt for pasta water

2. 2

   Step 2: Pit and chop the olives. Rinse the salted capers (2 tbsp) well, then chop them with the sage leaves (2), using a knife or blender.

   Uses 60 g Taggiasca olives (or other small olives) · 2 tbsp salted capers (rinsed) · 2 sage leaves

3. 3

   Step 3: Mash the drained tuna (160 g) and ricotta (200 g) together and then add, the caper, olive and sage mixture, mix everything together well. Season with salt and pepper as required. I also added a little grated lemon zest (1 tsp).

   Uses 160 g canned tuna (drained) · 200 g fresh ricotta · All prepared olive-caper-sage mixture · Salt to taste for tuna-ricotta filling · Black pepper to taste for filling · 1 tsp lemon zest, optional

   
4. 4

   Step 4: Cook the pasta until just al dente according to the instructions on the packet. It’s important that the shells are still quite firm. After draining the pasta shells, separate them so they won’t stick together.

   Uses 250 g conchiglioni pasta shells (about 16) · Boiling salted pasta water

5. 5

   Step 5: Choose homemade or ready-made béchamel. For homemade sauce, melt the 50 g béchamel butter, gradually stir in 50 g flour until smooth, then gradually add milk from the 500 ml supply until thickened; you may not need all the milk. Add 1 pinch nutmeg. For the ready-made alternative, omit these homemade ingredients and have enough sauce for about 1 tbsp per shell ready.

   Uses 50 g butter · 50 g all purpose flour · Add milk gradually from the 500 ml supply; not necessarily all · 1 pinch nutmeg (grated) · Ready-made sauce instead of the homemade ingredients

6. 6

   Step 6: Fill each pasta shell with the tuna and ricotta filling and place side by side in a buttered oven dish.

   Uses All drained, separated cooked shells · All tuna-ricotta filling · Extra butter to grease the dish

   
7. 7

   Step 7: Add a tablespoon of béchamel to each shell and then sprinkle them all with a mixture of breadcrumbs (30 g) and grated Parmesan.

   Uses All filled shells in the buttered dish · About 1 tbsp chosen béchamel per shell; not necessarily the whole sauce batch · 30 g breadcrumbs · 60 g Parmesan cheese (grated)

   
8. 8

   Step 8: Bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 degrees until the top starts to turn golden and crispy. You can also use the grill for the last 5 minutes. Serve while still warm.

   Bake pasta shells · 20 minUses All filled shells topped with béchamel, breadcrumbs and Parmesan