This dish can be assembled ahead of time and popped in the oven when ready to eat. If you’re looking for a quick fix midweek meal or feeding a crowd, you can replace the homemade meatballs with shop bought mini beef meatballs.
100 g sliced bread, crusts removed
70 ml milk
300 g large pasta shells (conchiglioni)
1 tbsp olive oil
8 tbsp parsley leaves, chopped
80 g parmesan, grated
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
400 g chicken thigh fillets, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
700 g tomato sauce (from a jar or using my recipe)
300 g ricotta
4 tbsp torn fresh basil
Extra parmesan to finish
Tear the bread into pieces and soak in milk for 10 minutes while you cook the pasta.
In a large pan of salted boiling water cook the pasta shells for 10 minutes, drain, tip into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 180C Fan.
To the bowl of a food processor, add soaked bread, half the parsley, garlic and half the parmesan. Whizz until well combines and the bread becomes crumbs. Add the chicken, salt and eg, pulse a few times.
Oil a baking tray. Form the chicken into small balls, place on the tray and roast in the oven for 15 minutes turning occasionally.
Pour the tomato sauce into a baking dish or tin large enough to add the filled pasta shells in one layer.
While the chicken is cooking, combine ricotta with the remaining parsley and parmesan, add the basil and a few pinches of salt.
Using a teaspoon put a little ricotta in each shell until used up. Pop the shells on the tomato sauce, top with a mini chicken ball, season with plenty of black pepper, sprinkle with parmesan and bake for 15 minutes.
Ideal with:
- 100 g fresh bread crusts removed
- 70 ml milk
- 300 g conchiglioni pasta shells
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 tbsp fresh parsley leaves chopped
- 80 g parmesan grated
- 1 clove garlic roughly chopped
- 400 g chicken thigh fillets roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 700 g marinara sauce (shop bought or use my recipe)
- 300 g ricotta
- 4 tbsp basil leaves torn
- extra parmesan to finish
Instructions
- Tear the bread into pieces and soak in milk for 10 minutes while you cook the pasta.
- In a large pan of salted boiling water cook the pasta shells for 10 minutes, drain, tip into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 180C Fan.
- To the bowl of a food processor, add soaked bread, half the parsley, garlic and half the parmesan. Whizz until well combines and the bread becomes crumbs. Add the chicken, salt and eg, pulse a few times.
- Oil a baking tray. Form the chicken into small balls, place on the tray and roast in the oven for 15 minutes turning occasionally.
- Pour the tomato sauce into a baking dish or tin large enough to add the filled pasta shells in one layer.
- While the chicken is cooking, combine ricotta with the remaining parsley and parmesan, add the basil and a few pinches of salt.
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