🇮🇹 Italian · Pasta
🥟 Casoncelli alla Bergamasca
Casoncelli alla Bergamasca
Casoncelli alla Bergamasca are Bergamo's beloved stuffed pasta pockets, filled with a savory-sweet mix of meat, breadcrumbs, and amaretti, finished with butter, sage, and crisp pancetta.
This dish showcases Lombardy's love of blending sweet and savory — amaretti cookies and sometimes raisins or pear find their way into the meaty filling, a Renaissance-era culinary habit that has endured in this specific corner of the region.
Ingredients
Equipment: Mixing bowl, Pasta machine or rolling pin, Round or square cutter, Skillet
- 1 batch Fresh Egg Pasta Dough
Filling
- 250 g (9 oz) leftover roasted or braised beef, finely chopped
- 80 g (1 cup) fresh breadcrumbs
- 40 g (¼ cup) crushed amaretti cookies
- 1 egg
- 40 g (½ cup) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- Freshly grated nutmeg, a pinch
- Salt and pepper, to taste
To serve
- 100 g (½ cup) butter
- 100 g (3.5 oz) pancetta, diced
- Fresh sage leaves
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
Method
- Combine the chopped beef, breadcrumbs, amaretti, egg, Parmigiano, parsley, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a bowl, mixing until well combined and firm enough to hold shape.
- Roll the pasta dough thin and cut into squares or rounds about 8cm.
- Place a small spoonful of filling in the center of each piece.
- Fold into a half-moon or triangle, pressing to seal, then bring the two outer corners together and pinch to form the classic casoncelli shape.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil and cook the casoncelli in batches for 3–5 minutes until they float and the pasta is tender.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet with the pancetta, cooking until the pancetta is crisp.
- Add the sage leaves to the butter for the last minute of cooking.
- Lift the casoncelli directly into the butter-pancetta mixture, tossing gently to coat.
- Serve immediately with grated Parmigiano.
Chef Tips
- The amaretti cookies add a distinctive sweet note that balances the savory meat — a hallmark of this specific Bergamo tradition.
- Using leftover roasted meat gives the best depth of flavor, echoing the dish's origins in resourceful cooking.
- Keep the filling firm rather than wet to make sealing and shaping easier.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Omitting the amaretti, losing the dish's distinctive Lombard character.
- Overfilling, making the casoncelli difficult to seal properly.
- Cooking the pancetta too long before adding sage, causing the sage to burn in the residual heat.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- A good source of protein from the meat filling.
- A resourceful way to use leftover roasted meats.
Cultural Note
Casoncelli varies noticeably even within Lombardy — the Bergamo style with amaretti differs from the Brescia version, which sometimes includes pear or raisins, each town fiercely proud of its particular recipe.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Uncooked casoncelli freeze well in a single layer for up to 2 months.
Reheating: Cook frozen directly from frozen in boiling water, adding 1–2 extra minutes.
Serve with: A crisp Franciacorta wine, A simple green salad