Sachetti Pasta
If you’d asked me a few years ago to recreate an Italian dish that I would devour almost in a single bite, I would probably laugh at your face. Back then I only knew how to make a frozen pizza, truth be told.
Luckily, time has a way of changing us, and since then I learned how to recreate the meal of a lifetime — I am not talking about some plain meal, but a delicious pasta, filled with ricotta and pear filling.
My pasta dish may not be the original replica of that original Italian meal that I fell so deeply in love with, but it is quite close to it. I hope you will enjoy this recipe that I did my best to recreate for you!
What Is Sacchetti Pasta?
The Sacchetti pasta is a type of fresh pasta, shaped to look like a small pouch or sachet.
It is usually filled with cheese, but to elevate the eating experience, I have added some delicious pear as well. There’s just such an exciting difference between plain ricotta and ricotta enriched with pear!
Sacchetti pasta can also be filled with a combination of bacon, chicken, and cheddar cheese — just chock full of savory flavors!
When it comes to Sacchetti pasta, I made the classic egg-based pasta. It is deliciously soft when cooked, but still firm enough to hold the filling.
The pasta can be served with freshly made tomato sauce, but to follow the theme (and my memories), I served my Sacchetti pasta with bechamel sauce and some fresh parmesan on top.
What To Serve With Sacchetti Pasta
Sachetti pasta is a meal you can serve on its own, as it is rich and fulfilling. However, if you want to serve it with something else, I recommend serving it with:
Sacchetti Pasta
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 12 oz flour, or a mix of all-purpose flour and bread flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
For the filling:
- 1 cup ricotta
- ½ cup mascarpone
- 1 pear, grated
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the bechamel sauce:
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1½ tbsp flour
- ½ cup half-and-half
- ½ cup milk
- 3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
1. Make the pasta; combine flour and salt in a bowl. Add flour and stir, then add room-temperature eggs and stir until the dough comes together.
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Alternately, just add all the ingredients into a stand mixer bowl, add the dough, and turn on the mixer.
3. Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes up to 2 hours.
4. To roll out the dough, cut it into small pieces. Use your pasta machine or roll it out using a rolling pin. The dough should be almost transparent.
5. Cut the dough using a 5-inch diameter cookie ring. Place the discs of pasta on the baking paper.
6. Make the filling; in a bowl, combine all the filling ingredients. Season the filling with salt and pepper.
7. To assemble; place a teaspoon of filling on each pasta disc. Gather all the sides to form a pouch. Pinch the dough together and continue with the remaining discs.
8. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes.
9. Make the bechamel sauce; melt the butter in a saucepot. Add flour and cook for a minute. Add half cream and milk and cook until thickened. Stir in parmesan.
10. Put it all together; add pasta to the warm sauce and stir gently to coat the pasta.
11. Serve your pasta warm, sprinkled with some extra parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!
Notes
Making your own pasta is an easy way to control the ingredients and flavors you have in your dish. There are many different sizes and shapes of pasta — you can create any type of dish you want!
- Select the right flour — all-purpose flour is a good choice for most pasta dishes, but it can be a bit bland. For a more flavorful pasta, I like to use a mix of flours, such as semolina or bread flour.
- Make sure your eggs are at room temperature before adding them to the dough.
- It’s just like making any other pasta (using water) — if the water is cold, it will make your dough tough, and you will have difficulties rolling it out. So, you use water that is either room temperature or slightly to the lukewarm side. This doesn’t exactly apply to Sachetti pasta, as it is made with eggs only, but you get it.
- Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Do not overwork the dough or it will become too sticky.
- Make sure you roll your dough into thin sheets. Use a pasta machine for this or roll the dough with a rolling pin. If you are using the rolling pin, do not roll the dough in left-right motions, just up and to the side.
Sachetti Pasta
This delicious Sacchetti pasta features a pear and cheese filling, just waiting to explode with sweet and savory flavors!
Ingredients
For the pasta dough:
- 12 oz flour, or a mix of all-purpose flour and bread flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
For the filling:
- 1 cup ricotta
- ½ cup mascarpone
- 1 pear, grated
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the bechamel sauce:
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1½ tbsp flour
- ½ cup half-and-half
- ½ cup milk
- 3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
1. Make the pasta; combine flour and salt in a bowl. Add flour and stir, then add room-temperature eggs and stir until the dough comes together.
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Alternately, just add all the ingredients into a stand mixer bowl, add the dough, and turn on the mixer.
3. Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes up to 2 hours.
4. To roll out the dough, cut it into small pieces. Use your pasta machine or roll it out using a rolling pin. The dough should be almost transparent.
5. Cut the dough using a 5-inch diameter cookie ring. Place the discs of pasta on the baking paper.
6. Make the filling; in a bowl, combine all the filling ingredients. Season the filling with salt and pepper.
7. To assemble; place a teaspoon of filling on each pasta disc. Gather all the sides to form a pouch. Pinch the dough together and continue with the remaining discs.
8. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes.
9. Make the bechamel sauce; melt the butter in a saucepot. Add flour and cook for a minute. Add half cream and milk and cook until thickened. Stir in parmesan.
10. Put it all together; add pasta to the warm sauce and stir gently to coat the pasta.
11. Serve your pasta warm, sprinkled with some extra parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!
Notes
Making your own pasta is an easy way to control the ingredients and flavors you have in your dish. There are many different sizes and shapes of pasta — you can create any type of dish you want!
* Select the right flour — all-purpose flour is a good choice for most pasta dishes, but it can be a bit bland. For a more flavorful pasta, I like to use a mix of flours, such as semolina or bread flour.
* Make sure your eggs are at room temperature before adding them to the dough.
*** It's just like making any other pasta (using water) — if the water is cold, it will make your dough tough, and you will have difficulties rolling it out. So, you use water that is either room temperature or slightly to the lukewarm side. This doesn't exactly apply to Sachetti pasta, as it is made with eggs only, but you get it.Â
* Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Do not overwork the dough or it will become too sticky.
* Make sure you roll your dough into thin sheets. Use a pasta machine for this or roll the dough with a rolling pin. If you are using the rolling pin, do not roll the dough in left-right motions, just up and to the side.
