What is a substitute for lumaconi pasta?

If you don't have lumaconi pasta shells you can use any large pasta shells that you can fill. Options include conchiglioni (giant pasta shells) and manicotti.

What does Lumaconi mean in Italian?

Simply translated, the Italian word for snail is lumacha (singular). Lumaconi pasta shells refer to the big or large shell of a snail. Lumaconi, or lumache (plural) in Italian, are big ridged pasta shells shaped like snail shells. Typically, they are stuffed with various fillings and baked with a little sauce, remaining a bit dry or covered in a sauce.

Stuffed Lumaconi Pasta Recipe with Ricotta and Sausage

Name: Stuffed Lumaconi Pasta Recipe with Ricotta and Sausage
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 package (453 g) Sweet Italian Ground Sausage; 1 package (454 g) lumaconi pasta shells; 2 cloves garlic, diced; 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 recipe Classic Italian Tomato Sauce (Sugo al Pomodoro); 1 egg, beaten; 1 cup cooked spinach, liquid removed and finely chopped; 1 container (454 g) of whole milk ricotta cheese; 2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese, divided; 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided; 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or 1 tablespoon dried basil

Description

Stuffed Lumaconi Pasta Recipe with Ricotta and Sausage is a comfort food classic that will have your belly doing the happy dance! This recipe combines sweet ricotta cheese with savory delicious Italian sausage (wait, we snuck in a little spinach too). The result? An authentic Italian dish that will make everyone run to the table.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 package (453 g) Sweet Italian Ground Sausage
1 package (454 g) lumaconi pasta shells
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 recipe Classic Italian Tomato Sauce (Sugo al Pomodoro)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup cooked spinach, liquid removed and finely chopped
1 container (454 g) of whole milk ricotta cheese
2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or 1 tablespoon dried basil

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Instructions

Prepare one recipe for Sugo al Pomodoro (you may also use your favorite jarred tomato sauce). Cook and prepare spinach and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large skillet, add a bit of oil and cook the onion for about 3 minutes until translucent. Add sausage and garlic and cook over medium-high heat, until pork is no longer pink; drain any excess liquid. Break up the ground sausage into smaller pieces while cooking. I like to cook until crispy edges. Let cool.
In a large bowl, combine egg, spinach, ricotta cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella, ½ cup Parmigiano or Parmesan cheese, basil, and prepared sausage. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells* according to package directions until al-dente. Drain and set on a clean tea towel, so they do not stick together as you are stuffing them individually.
Coat the sides and bottom of a 3-quart baking dish with olive oil. Pour half of the prepared tomato sauce into the baking dish.
Stuff shells with meat and cheese mixture; arrange in the prepared baking dish. Depending on how you arrange the shells you may need to stack them in order to fit them all the baking dish.
Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the shells. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmigiano cheese.
Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

Notes

*make sure to follow my guide on how to cook pasta perfectly every time!

Category: Savory
Method: Italian
Cuisine: Italian