Stuffed Conchiglie

Ingredients

• 400 g conchiglie (shell pasta)
• Salt
• 200 g sheep cheese
• 50 g olives (pitted, mixed black and green)
• 1 sprig rosemary
• Pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 Shallot
• 1 Garlic clove
• 400 g peeled tomatoes (1 can)
• 1 sprig basil
• 100 g Mascarpone
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 50 g freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions

1. 1.

   Cook conchiglie in plenty of salted water until al dente, drain and lay them side‑by‑side on a clean kitchen towel to dry. Crumble sheep cheese with a fork, roughly chop olives, wash rosemary, shake off excess moisture, pluck the stems and finely mince. Mix both into the cheese and season with pepper.

2. 2.

   Fill each conchiglie with the sheep cheese mixture, pressing firmly. Lightly oil a baking dish, arrange the stuffed shells side‑by‑side, and bake in a preheated oven at 175 °C (fan 150 °C; gas: level 2) for about 20 minutes.

3. 3.

   Meanwhile, peel and finely dice shallot and garlic. Sauté both in remaining olive oil until translucent, add tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Simmer with occasional stirring for about 15 minutes, adding a few teaspoons of water if needed. Strain through a sieve, place the basil sprig into the sauce to infuse, then remove before serving.

4. 4.

   Whisk mascarpone with lemon juice until smooth, season with salt and pepper. To serve, spoon some tomato sauce onto a warmed plate, arrange several conchiglie on top, drizzle with additional sauce, cover each shell with a dollop of mascarpone, and sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan.