Name: Casoncelli alla bergamasca
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 2 h 35 min
Cuisine: Italian, Bergamo / Lombardia
Ingredients: 320 g Italian 00 flour; 80 g fine durum wheat flour; 2 large eggs; 120–150 ml water, add gradually; 4 g fine sea salt; 100 g dry bread crumb; 1 large egg; 60 g Grana Padano, finely grated; 120 g fresh mild pork sausage, casing removed; 80 g roast beef, finely minced; 5 g amaretti biscuits, finely crushed; 10 g raisins, soaked and dried; 80 g firm pear, peeled and finely diced; 1 g nutmeg and cinnamon combined; 1 garlic clove, finely grated; 12 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest; 2 g fine sea salt; 1 g black pepper; 120 g unsalted butter; 60 g pancetta, cut into small strips; 12 sage leaves; 40 g Grana Padano, for serving

Casoncelli alla bergamasca: wide hero view of golden stuffed casoncelli dressed with browned butter, sage, crisp pancetta and grated cheese

Prep1 h 30 min

Cook35 minutes

Total2 h 35 min

Yield6 servings

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The dish

About Casoncelli alla bergamasca

Visit Bergamo describes casoncelli as the city’s most celebrated first course and a symbol of local gastronomic culture. Their filling reflects a dish that began as economical home cooking and became codified in a richer mixture of meat, bread, Grana, pear, amaretti, raisins, spices, lemon, garlic and parsley.

The pasta is relatively low in egg and therefore more rustic than a rich all-egg sheet. Visit Bergamo specifies a mixture of 00 and durum flour with only two eggs for 500 g flour, water providing the remaining hydration. A 30-minute rest makes this firm dough easier to roll.

The filling is mixed cold after the components are minced finely. Pear and raisins contribute sweetness, while amaretti and lemon give an aromatic note that should remain subtle rather than turning the filling into dessert. The mixture needs enough bread to hold together without becoming dry.

The conventional shape uses 6–8 cm discs folded into semicircles and pressed into the characteristic boat or bird-wing form. At home, a clean half-moon with a slight inward fold is preferable to forcing a decorative shape that opens in the pot.

Butter, sage and pancetta are the defining finish in the Bergamo source. The verified photographs show golden filled pasta with browned meat-rich garnish, sage and grated cheese, so the dressing is kept generous but not soupy.

Technique

Three things that matter

Keep the filling cohesive, not wet. Pear and meat need to bind with bread and cheese without releasing liquid into the pasta.
Roll to about 0.6 mm. The traditional sheet is thin enough to fold neatly but stronger than ultra-fine ravioli pasta.
Brown pancetta before dressing. Rendered pancetta and sage perfume the butter while preserving crisp texture on the plate.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Pasta dough

320 gItalian 00 flour
80 gfine durum wheat flour
2large eggs
120–150 mlwateradd gradually
4 gfine sea salt

Filling

100 gdry bread crumb
1large egg
60 gGrana Padanofinely grated
120 gfresh mild pork sausagecasing removed
80 groast beeffinely minced
5 gamaretti biscuitsfinely crushed
10 graisinssoaked and dried
80 gfirm pearpeeled and finely diced
1 gnutmeg and cinnamon combined
1garlic clovefinely grated
12 gflat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped
1 tspfinely grated lemon zest
2 gfine sea salt
1 gblack pepper

Butter, sage and pancetta

120 gunsalted butter
60 gpancettacut into small strips
12sage leaves
40 gGrana Padanofor serving

Step by step

Method

Prepare dough and filling

Knead the rustic pasta dough. Mix the flours and salt with the eggs and enough water to form a firm smooth dough. Knead 8–10 minutes and rest covered in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
The dough should be firm yet roll without cracking after the rest.
Mix the filling cold. Combine bread crumb, egg, Grana, sausage, roast beef, amaretti, raisins, pear, spices, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper until evenly distributed.
A pressed spoonful should hold together without liquid pooling.

Roll and shape

Roll to about 0.6 mm. Work in sections and cut 6–8 cm discs, keeping the rest covered.
The sheet should be thin and flexible but strong enough to lift by one edge.
Fill and form the casoncelli. Place a small mound of filling in each disc, fold into a half-moon, seal well, then fold the edge slightly and press the centre inward for the characteristic shape.
No filling or trapped air should sit in the seam.

Cook and finish

Render pancetta and sage. Cook pancetta in a wide skillet until crisp at the edges, add butter and sage and let the butter foam and turn light hazelnut brown.
The sage should be fragrant and the milk solids golden, not black.
Boil the casoncelli. Cook in gently boiling salted water for about 7–8 minutes, as in the Bergamo recipe, checking one parcel for tender pasta and hot filling.
The seams should remain closed and the pasta should be tender throughout.
Dress immediately. Lift the casoncelli into the sage-pancetta butter with a little pasta water, turn gently and finish with Grana.
Butter should glaze the pasta while pancetta remains visible and lightly crisp.

Practical guidance

Filling variation

Family recipes vary, but the Bergamo tourism recipe explicitly includes pear, amaretti and raisins in the protected local filling profile.

Shape

A secure half-moon matters more than an exaggerated decorative fold. The pasta should survive boiling intact.

Pancetta

Cook it before adding the pasta so its fat renders into the butter and the pieces retain browned edges.

Make-ahead

Shape the casoncelli several hours ahead and keep chilled in a single floured layer, or freeze them before boiling.

Troubleshooting

The casoncelli open in water. The seam contained filling, the pasta dried before sealing or the boil was too violent.
The filling is sweet. Too much pear or amaretti was used; both should remain supporting notes within a meat filling.
The pasta is tough. The sheet was rolled too thick or insufficiently rested before shaping.
The butter tastes burnt. The milk solids or sage darkened too far; remove the pan once the butter reaches light hazelnut colour.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 8–10 casoncelli
Calories: approximately 720 kcal
Carbohydrates: 68 g
Protein: 30 g
Fat: 36 g
Fibre: 3 g
Sodium: approximately 950 mg

Pancetta, sausage and cheese brands substantially affect sodium and fat.

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat/gluten, eggs and milk; amaretti may contain tree nuts depending on brand.

Keep the meat-and-egg filling refrigerated until use and avoid extended room-temperature holding while shaping.

Cook filling thoroughly and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours; reheat to 74 °C.

FAQ

What is inside Bergamo casoncelli?

The codified filling combines meat, bread, Grana, pear, amaretti, raisins, spices, lemon, garlic and parsley.

How are casoncelli served?

The classic Bergamo finish is butter with sage and pancetta, plus grated Grana.

How thick should the pasta be?

Visit Bergamo gives about 0.6 mm, thin enough to fold but still rustic and resilient.

Final note

What matters most

Result: Golden stuffed pasta with a savoury meat filling, subtle pear-amaretto aroma and a glossy sage-butter coating dotted with crisp pancetta.
Key: Keep the filling balanced and dry, roll the sheet to about 0.6 mm and use a gentle boil before dressing in freshly browned sage-pancetta butter.