Neapolitan Cartridges

I can guide you in preparing the Neapolitan cartridges, a typical dish of Neapolitan cuisine.

Ingredients

• 500 g of semolina pasta (short pasta is usually used, like rigatoni or mezzi paccheri)
• 300 g of meatballs (mixed beef and pork, already seasoned and cooked)
• 100 g of spicy provolone
• 500 ml of tomato sauce
• 250 g of ricotta
• 100 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• Fresh basil
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation

1. Cook the pasta in abundant salted water until it is almost al dente, then drain it and cool it under a stream of cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. In the meantime, in a bowl, mix the ricotta with the grated Parmesan cheese, lightly beaten eggs, a handful of pepper, and some chopped basil leaves. Blend until you get a homogeneous mixture.
3. Add the previously cooked meatballs to the ricotta and Parmesan mixture.
4. Take each piece of pasta and stuff it with the ricotta and meatball mixture, then place each piece next to the other in an oiled baking dish or covered with parchment paper.
5. Pour the tomato sauce over the stuffed pasta until covered and sprinkle with diced or grated spicy provolone.
6. Bake at 200 °C for about 20 minutes or until the surface is well gratinated.
7. Let it rest a few minutes before serving.

This rich and flavorful dish is a classic for Sunday or family celebrations in Naples. Don’t forget to accompany it with a good red wine, such as Aglianico or Taurasi, which go well with the robustness of the dish.

Curiosity

The word “cartuccia” in this recipe comes from the fact that each piece of stuffed pasta resembles a cartridge, that is, a cylindrical wrapper, which in this case contains a tasty and succulent filling.