Unstuffed shells casserole recipe
These unstuffed shells casserole are super easy to make, without the fuss to fill each shell! They are packed with sauteed mushrooms, peas, bechamel sauce, ham, and smoked scamorza cheese. A real treat to enjoy for weekend lunch with family or friends!
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 625kcal
Equipment
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Knife for vegetables
- 1 Medium saucepan
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Balloon whisk
- 1 Medium frying pan
- 1 Casserole
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Stockpot
Ingredients
Bechamel sauce
- 80 gr unsalted butter
- 65 gr plain flour
- 40 gr grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 2 pinch nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Maldon salt
- 640 gr whole milk cold from the fridge
Sauteed mushrooms and peas
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 bunch of thyme
- 2 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 380 gr brown chestnut mushrooms washed
- 260 gr peas raw
- ½ teaspoon Maldon salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 102 gr white dry wine
Assembling pasta
- 300 gr shells pasta
- 1 handful coarse salt
- 120 gr cooked ham
- 10 gr grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 250 gr smoked scamorza cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven
- Preheat the oven at 190°C fans, 5 gas mark, or 200°C convection.
Bechamel sauce
- Add the chopped butter to a medium saucepan and cook on low heat until it melts completely. Choose a saucepan with a higher base. This will prevent the sauce from burning quickly.
- Add the flour in one shot into the melted butter. Stir with a wooden spoon until turn golden on low heat for about 5 minutes. Now add the Parmigiano Reggiano and keep stirring for 1 minute at low heat.
- Add the milk, salt, and grated nutmeg into the saucepan in one shot. Stir with a balloon whisk and let it cook on low heat until the sauce thickens up. The bechamel sauce is ready when it sticks to the back of a wooden spoon.
Sauteed mushrooms and peas
- Place the garlic, olive oil, and thyme into a frying pan and cook on medium heat until the garlic is golden but not burned.
- Slice the mushrooms and add them with the ground peppercorns into the frying pan. Let them brown for 20 minutes and stir occasionally.
- Now remove the garlic and the thyme and add the peas and salt into the frying pan. Stir and let it cook for 5 minutes at medium heat. Pour the white wine and turn the heat to high. Let evaporate the alcohol and cook for a further 3 minutes. Set it aside once cooked.
Cook and assemble the pasta
- Bring a large stockpot with plenty of water to boil on high heat. Add the coarse salt and the pasta, let it cook for 9 minutes. This is just a pre-cooking stage. We aim to undercook it as it will finish cooking in the oven. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Chop the ham finely and cut the smoked scamorza cheese into cubes and spread a few spoons of bechamel sauce into the base of the casserole. Add the bechamel sauce, the mushroom with the peas, the ham, 200 gr of scamorza cheese, and the shell pasta into a large bowl. Mix until combined.
- Now add all the condiments into the casserole, sprinkle over the Parmigiano Reggiano and the rest of the scamorza cheese. Then bake the creamy pasta in a preheated oven for 35 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
How to store this creamy pasta bake?
Store the leftover in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Can I make this recipe ahead?
Yes, of course. Simply follow all the instructions until the assembling step. Then store the casserole covered with a cling film in the fridge once is cooled off and the next day bake it as the recipe says.
Can you freeze unstuffed shells casserole?
Yes, of course. I recommend freezing the leftover pasta in a container with a lid for up to 1 month. Also, you can freeze the whole uncooked casserole, just cover it with some cling film for up to 1 month. Make sure that your baking dish is freezer resistant. When need it, remove it from the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
How to reheat the baked pasta?
Reheat the baked pasta covered in aluminum foil in a preheated oven. Bake at 190°C fans, 5 gas mark, or 200°C convection oven for 20 minutes or until is hot.
Can I turn this recipe into stuffed shell pasta?
Yes of course. I advise you to spread a few spoons of bechamel sauce on the bottom of the casserole. Fill each pasta shell with the mix and add the remains over the pasta.
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