Mortadella and Peas Conchiglioni

Name: Mortadella and Peas Conchiglioni
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Shell pasta 3 ¼ cups; Mortadella 5.3 oz; Peas 1 ½ cup; Fresh chili pepper 1; Garlic 1 clove; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese (to grate) 1 oz; Thyme to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Butter ½ cup; Type 00 flour 0.8 cup; Fine salt to taste; Whole milk 4 ¼ cups; Black pepper to taste

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Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

Conchiglioni with mortadella and peas brings together some of the best things about northern Italian food. Really good stuff. Coming straight from Emilia-Romagna, this stuffed pasta shells recipe takes the classic idea of pasta ripiena and gives it a twist by skipping tomato sauce for a creamy layer of besciamella. Big pasta shells like conchiglioni are used because they grab every bit of the rich filling. So tasty. Every bite is extra moist and full of flavor.

Instead of fancy or hard-to-find ingredients, you just get things like diced mortadella, sweet sautéed peas, and that velvety white sauce. The mortadella itself is the star here—it’s from Bologna and gives the whole dish a special touch. Hard to beat. In families across Emilia-Romagna, you’ll spot this dish on the table for Sunday lunch, and once you try it, you’ll see why. It is pretty special.

In different parts of Central and Northern Italy, regional versions of baked conchiglioni with mortadella pop up, but the Emilia-Romagna style is all about keeping things simple and tasty. Unlike pasta dishes loaded with tomato or lots of heavy meat, this one lets the tender pasta and the delicate filling be different. And the peas? They add a little burst of sweet flavor, and the whole thing gets that classic “in bianco” look—which just means it skips tomato sauce for a white, cheesy finish.

Families love making this because it’s an easy baked pasta recipe that still feels a bit fancy. I mean, seriously good. Especially when you pull it out of the oven all golden and bubbling. Whether you’re new to traditional Italian pasta dishes or just want something that feels like a cozy Sunday meal, conchiglioni with mortadella and peas is an awesome pick. No question. There’s really nothing quite like sitting down to this old-school comfort food, especially when it’s shared with people you like. It’s warm, a bit rich, and always brings everyone back for seconds. This dish is perfect for anyone who loves a bit of nostalgia mixed with amazing taste.

INGREDIENTS

Shell pasta 3 ¼ cups (320 g)

Mortadella 5.3 oz (150 g)

Peas 1 ½ cup (200 g)

Fresh chili pepper 1

Garlic 1 clove

Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1 oz (30 g) - (to grate)

Thyme to taste

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Fine salt to taste

for the béchamel sauce: Butter ½ cup (100 g); Type 00 flour 0.8 cup (100 g); Fine salt to taste; Whole milk 4 ¼ cups (1 l); Black pepper to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Mortadella and Peas Conchiglioni

To prepare the mortadella and peas conchiglioni, start with the seasoning: pour a drizzle of oil into a pan and add the garlic clove and the whole chili pepper 1. Sauté the ingredients for 2-3 minutes and add the peas 2. Sauté the peas over high heat for 5 minutes, turn off the heat and salt to taste. Remove garlic and chili pepper 3. Set aside.

Prepare the béchamel sauce: pour the milk into a saucepan and heat it 4. Put the butter in another saucepan and melt it over low heat 5, then add the flour all at once 6. Stir vigorously to avoid lumps.

Continue mixing until you get a golden mixture, the roux 7. At this point, dilute the roux by pouring first a little hot milk and then all the remaining 9. Keep stirring over low heat until you reach the desired consistency; cooking the béchamel for 5-6 minutes will give you a medium density. Salt to taste 9.

Flavor with pepper to taste 10. Once ready, pour the béchamel into a low, wide baking dish and cover with parchment paper on contact. Set aside at room temperature until use. Cook the conchiglioni in salted boiling water for 8-10 minutes, they should be al dente 11. Meanwhile, cut the mortadella into cubes of about ½ cm (approx. ¼ inch) 12.

In a large bowl, pour the béchamel, the al dente cooked conchiglioni 13. Mix the ingredients and also add the mortadella 14 and the peas 15.

Season with thyme leaves 16. Mix everything to combine well the pasta and seasoning, then transfer to a 11x8 inch baking dish, sprinkle the surface with Parmigiano Reggiano PDO 17 and bake everything in a preheated convection oven at 400°F for about 25 minutes, until the surface is golden. Remove from the oven and let the mortadella and peas conchiglioni cool slightly before serving 18.

Storage

The mortadella and peas conchiglioni can be stored for 2 days in the refrigerator.

Tip

For an even more pronounced flavor, mix 20 g (about ¾ oz) of soft cheese like taleggio, gorgonzola, or brie into the hot béchamel! In addition, or as an alternative to the cheese, you can use breadcrumbs.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.