What is Lumaconi?
Lumaconi, also known as lumache, are large pasta shells shaped like snail shells. They can hold the filling and can even be eaten as finger food. It is often prepared in two varieties, either ridged or smooth. It’s ideal for baked pasta dishes because large amounts of sauce and cheese can nestle within the shell itself.
1. Lumaconi with Prosciutto and Lemon Breadcrumbs
This lumaconi recipe is Instagram-worthy when finished. After pulsing it in a food processor to ensure it’s finely ground, cook your prosciutto in a pan with oil until it’s brown and crisp. Then, you’ll add shallot, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, lemon zest, and cream to create the prosciutto cream that makes this recipe truly stand out. Then, cook your pasta. Once pasta is prepared, toss it in the prosciutto sauce and serve topped with pre-prepared breadcrumbs. The explosion of flavors demonstrates just how much flavor the shells can absorb.
Get the full recipe on Bon Appetit.
2. Five Cheese Stuffed Lumaconi
As its name indicates, this recipe combines five different types of cheese: mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, cheddar, and cream cheese. Once you cook your pasta, you just combine the cheese and squeeze the mixture into each shell to ensure they’re thoroughly stuffed. It’s not the most authentic Italian lumaconi that you could create, but it’s a darn good lumaconi nonetheless. It also includes instructions on how to make a basic tomato sauce from scratch, so you can top off your shells correctly.
Get the full recipe on Heather Likes Food.
3. Stuffed Lumaconi (Lumache) Snail Shell Pasta
Not all lumaconi is stuffed or baked…but this one is. This shell pasta is filled with rich minced meat filling with ricotta and bechamel sauce. You start out by making the bechamel sauce in a saucepan and then setting aside it for future use. Then, you’ll prepare the meat sauce to fill the lumaconi shells. Once you’ve made the meat sauce, combine both the meat and bechamel sauces and add ricotta. Use a teaspoon to fill each pasta shell and arrange for baking. You can bake on a bed of spinach, red onions, or red peppers. Enjoy!
Get the full recipe on The Pasta Project.
4. Kale, Squash & Ricotta Stuffed Lumaconi
This recipe puts a healthy spin on a lumaconi dish. A unique spin that has beautiful layers of flavor and texture, you’ll love the combination of veggies and cheese. You’ll see vibrant colors when you cook with both kale and squash, which is how you know you’re in for a delicious and nutritious meal. The author of the recipe also recommends that you use the freshest ingredients possible. She sourced her veggies from a local market and used high-quality ricotta for a cream-rich consistency.
Get the full recipe on Sugar Love Spices
5. Lumaconi Pasta Stuffed with Slow Cooked Pork Rib Ragu
If you’re interested in lumaconi for the meat (not the cheese), then this is the recipe for you. This slow-cooked pork rib ragu will have you drooling before you’ve even taken a bite. Now, be warned, it’ll take you about 2.5 hours to make this dish. You’ll start by sautéing your vegetables and then adding your pork ribs. Before long, you’ll add the tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, and bay leaves. Once you’ve brought this to a boil, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 1.5 hours with the lid on. Remove the ribs from the pot and take the meat off the bones. Then return the meat to the pot.
Once you’ve made your pasta, you’ll combine your sauce and meat so that the ragu fills the shells’ cavities. The wait is finally over. Enjoy!
Get the full recipe on Not Quite Nigella.
6. Chicken Pistachio Lumaconi
This version of lumaconi is packed with protein. To make the delicious filling for your shells, you’ll start by sautéing garlic and zucchini in a pot with olive oil. Then, you’ll add cream cheese and heavy cream into the mix and whisking until smooth. Finally, you add chicken, pistachios, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stuff your cooked shells with this chicken and cream cheese mixture before adding to a pan with homemade sauce below and on top. Bake for about an hour and get ready for a meal that’s both delicious and packed with protein!
Get the full recipe on Chicken.ca.
7. Lumaconi Pasta with Sweet Italian Sausage
Do you love lumaconi but can’t seem to get full from it? We’ve got a fix. This recipe can become your go-to recipe for hearty comfort food. It differs slightly from the recipes above because you’re not specifically filling the shells. You’re creating a sauce with ground sweet Italian sausage and then combining it with the pasta to eat.
This is a great recipe to bring to a potluck because it’s filling, buffet-style, and dietary restriction friendly. If you have anyone allergic to dairy, just make sure you put the grated parmesan cheese on the side!
Get the full recipe on Cecelia’s Good Stuff.
We hope you liked our round-up of our favorite lumaconi recipes. Not only are they delicious, but their shape is also beautiful to look at. It’s hard to decide which recipe to try first!
If you like this post, we think you’ll really like our Lumache Recipes post.
