Conchiglioni alla caprese with dry-cured ham

Conchiglioni alla caprese with dry-cured ham is a real delight at any time of the year. The plump pasta shells filled with cheese and tomato and enlivened with Negroni dry-cured ham are irresistible.

This recipe is great for picnics, but it’s also an excellent idea for a Sunday brunch or for a family dinner with a few special guests. The stuffed shells can be eaten hot or served with a cold stuffing and eaten at room temperature. In winter, conchiglioni with meat sauce are a favourite from north to south. For this lighter version, the shells stuffed with mozzarella, tomato and dry-cured ham can be prepared in about 30 minutes. 

The Recipe:

Put the water on to boil, then add salt and a spoonful of oil. Boil the pasta until it is al dente. Drain the shells and leave them to cool, separated from one another. 

Meanwhile, chop the onion and peel the garlic clove, removing the germ. Sweat the mirepoix in a pan with a drizzle of oil, then add the tomato sauce. Turn off the heat as soon as the sauce starts to thicken up.

In another pan with a little oil in it sauté the washed cherry tomatoes, dried off and cut into cubes so that they fall apart as they cook. Add a splash of water to facilitate cooking. When they are ready, taste for salt.

Then set the oven to 150° and, whilst it pre-heats, cut the mozzarella into small pieces along with the Negroni dry-cured ham and begin stuffing the shells, distributing first the tomatoes, then the mozzarella and, finally, the dry-cured ham and basil leaves, whole or torn by hand. Pour the tomato sauce into the bottom of an oven-proof dish, then distribute the filled shells in the dish. Dress with a drizzle of EVO and bake for about 10 minutes, long enough to start melting the cheese and finish cooking the pasta.