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This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

Baked Stuffed Shells with Radicchio and Sausage

6 Servings

1¾ hours plus cooling

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Radicchio, a red and white member of the chicory family, is a favorite vegetable in the Veneto region of Italy. In her kitchen in Treviso, home cook Alessandra Bianchi showed us how to make conchiglie ripiene con radicchio al forno. She stuffed parcooked pasta shells with a filling of radicchio sautéed with shallots before covering them with besciamella (the Italian version of French béchamel) and baking them until browned and bubbly. In our version, we include a little Italian sausage in the filling to make the dish rich and satisfying enough to be a main. Be sure to use jumbo shells for this recipe, boil them until they’re just shy of al dente (they will finish cooking in the oven) and drizzle them with a little oil after draining to prevent them from sticking together.

6

Servings

Tip

Don’t worry if the stuffed shells don’t look perfect when they’re placed in the baking dish. Under the besciamella and cheeses and after baking, their appearance won’t matter.

1¾ hours

plus cooling

Ingredients

  • 8

    ounces sweet Italian sausage, casing removed

  • 1

    tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Directions

Reviews
ETHAN U.
August 20, 2026
works great with red cabbage
couldn't find radicchio but red cabbage worked great, delicious recipe, thank you
MIKE T.
January 6, 2026
Sausage and “ricotta????” Stuffed shells
Despite the title of this recipe as presented in the November-December 2025 issue of the magazine, there does not appear to be any ricotta involved in it at all, either fresh, Affumicata, or salata, correct?
Lauren G.
March 24, 2025
Worth the Time!
This dish was delicious! It’s like what a lasagna could be without tomato. The besciamela and mix of cheeses hit just right against the bitterness of the radicchio. My kids may not have been into it but I will be making this again. Well worth the time and effort, so yummy and comforting!
DANETTE M.
February 9, 2026
Love Radicchio? You’ll love this!
I love radicchio, and the stuffing is light and flavorful, not heavy and rich as cheese stuffed shells can be. It’s creamy and cheesy on top, and the filling is slightly bitter due to the radicchio. I love it, but would not opt to serve it to guests not familiar with or a fan of radicchio.
Jennifer S.
December 11, 2025
Jennifer
I am wondering about the RICOTTA in this this recipe ? Is there RICOTTA in this recipe ?

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