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This Italian Stuffed Calamari Recipe is baked in a rich tomato sauce with a savory Italian sausage breadcrumb stuffing. Made in just a few simple steps, this classic Sicilian dish is perfect for a family-style main dish or appetizer.
Stuffed calamari, also known as calamari ripieni, is an Italian dish that originated in southern Italy in the town of Sicily. Whole calamari tubes are stuffed with a savory bread filling and grilled, oven-baked, or cooked in sauce over a slow simmer.
This version of my Italian-style stuffed calamari comes from a dish I once had at a special tasting menu. The restaurant stuffed the squid tubes with Italian sausage and served them for the second course. The dish was so delicious, I had to recreate it at home!
I often serve it as a delicious appetizer alongside mussels marinara or steak pizzaiola. However, I also like to serve it as a main course, over garlic butter pasta with crusty bread, a fresh arugula salad, and an antipasto platter.
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Notes About the Ingredients
- Calamari - Calamari is the Italian word for squid. I use both the tubes and tentacles in this stuffed squid recipe. The tubes are the squid's body that hold the filling, while the squid's tentacles are used in the filling. Calamari or squid is sold at most grocery stores and comes both fresh and frozen. Defrost frozen calamari completely and drain any excess liquid before use. If you buy whole calamari, use this guide for how to clean calamari to help you separate the tubes and tentacles.
- Stuffing - I mix sweet ground Italian sausage with garlicky bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. For an extra kick, I sometimes use spicy ground Italian sausage. I've also substituted pecorino cheese for the Parmesan, and it's just as tasty.
- Sauce - My Italian gravy marinara sauce recipe is perfect as the rich tomato sauce in this stuffed squid recipe. Use store-bought marinara sauce as a substitute, if needed.
Want the quick version? Jump to the recipe card below. Or, keep reading for a detailed, step-by-step guide.
Variations to Try
- Meat-Free - To make this without meat for Christmas Eve, I double both the breadcrumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to the filling and mix with the remaining filling ingredients in the food processor.
- Dairy Free - Omit the Parmesan cheese or replace it with a dairy-free substitute.
- Stovetop - Sear the stuffed calamari in olive oil in a hot skillet until browned. Add the marinara and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the calamari is tender.
- Grilled - Grill the stuffed calamari on a hot, greased grill pan or outside grill. Let the calamari simmer in a pan or baking dish in the marinara for about 10-15 minutes until tender.
How to Make Italian Stuffed Calamari
Prepare the squid - First, clean and prepare the squid so the tubes and tentacles are separated. Dice the calamari tentacles into small pieces, and pat the tubes dry with paper towels.
Brown the sausage - In a large oven-safe pan, cook the Italian sausage over medium heat until browned. Add the minced garlic clove and crushed red pepper flakes, and sauté for 1 more minute.
Combine the filling - Transfer the cooked sausage mixture to a food processor with the chopped tentacles, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh parsley, kosher salt, and black pepper. Pulse to combine everything, scrape down the sides, and then mix for 30-60 seconds more.
Stuff the squid - Use a small spoon and fingers to stuff the prepared mixture into each squid body. Pinch the ends of the body together to help hold in the mixture.
Sear - Heat the same pan used to brown the sausage over medium heat with the extra virgin olive oil. Add the stuffed tubes in a single layer and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side until light brown.
Bake - Pour the marinara sauce over the squid and then place the pan in a preheated oven to cook for about 15-20 minutes. Garnish with a little chopped parsley or fresh basil and serve!
Amanda's Expert Tips
- Remove the stuffed calamari from the oven when the sauce is bubbling and the filling cooks to a temperature of 165˚F.
- Squid cooks very quickly, so make sure your pan is hot and cook only for a few minutes on each side. If it cooks too long, then the squid will become tough and rubbery.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
- Stuffing - Make the filling up to one day ahead of time. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until assembly and cooking time.
- Calamari - Stuff the calamari and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 12 hours ahead of time. Following directions for searing and baking as directed.
- Leftovers - Keep leftover Italian stuffed calamari in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat over low heat on the stovetop with extra marinara or in the microwave until heated through.
Glossary
If you don't recognize a tool or skill I mentioned, you can look it up in my Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information!
Italian Seafood Recipes
If you loved this baked Italian Stuffed Calamari Recipe, check out these other Italian seafood recipes that I know you will love too!
- Shrimp Fra Diavolo - A bold, spicy, Italian-American dish ready to eat in an hour.
- Italian Seafood Salad - A fresh, flavorful dish that combines seven different types of seafood.
- Shrimp and Scallop Scampi - A family-friendly seafood dish made with a handful of simple ingredients in about 20 minutes!
- Roasted Italian Salmon - The perfect 30-minute weeknight meal, offering bold, savory flavors even picky eaters love.
Recipe
Italian Stuffed Calamari
Video
Ingredients
- 10-15 whole squid, medium to large sized, or tubes and tentacles only
- 8 ounces ground sweet Italian sausage
- 2 Tablespoons minced fresh garlic
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, or pecorino romano
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups Italian gravy, or marinara
Instructions
- Clean and separate whole squids into tubes and tentacles.
- Chop the tentacles into small pieces and pat the tubes dry with paper towels.
- Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat on the stovetop and preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- Cook the Italian sausage in the pan for about 5 minutes, while breaking it up, until it is cooked through.
- Add the minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute.
- Combine the sausage mixture in the bowl of a food processor with the chopped tentacles, breadcrumbs, parmesan, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Pulse to combine the ingredients, scrape down the bowl, and mix for 30-60 more seconds until everything is well combined.
- Using a small spoon or fingers, stuff the filling into each squid tube and then pinch the ends to close.
- Heat the olive oil in the same pan that the sausage was cooked in over medium heat on the stovetop. Add the stuffed calamari tubes in an even layer and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side until lightly browned.
- Pour the Italian gravy or marinara sauce over the top of the calamari tubes to cover them. Place the pan in the preheated oven to simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the filling has an internal temperature of 165˚.
- Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve!
Notes
- Calamari - Purchase whole squids to clean and separate or purchase tubes and tentacles separately. Frozen squid can be used, but must be thawed completely and drained of any excess liquid.
- Meat Free - Double the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to the filling ingredients before mixing.
- Dairy Free - Omit the parmesan cheese or replace it with a dairy-free substitute.
- Stovetop - Sear the stuffed calamari in a pan and then pour the sauce on top. Let the seared calamari simmer on the stovetop for 10-15 minutes until tender and cooked through.
- Grilled - Grill the stuffed calamari on a hot greased grill pan or outside grill. Add to a pan or dish with the sauce and simmer for 10-15 minutes until tender and cooked through.
- Make Ahead - Make the filling up to one day ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stuff the calamari and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 12 hours ahead of time.
- Leftovers - Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat over low heat on the stovetop with extra marinara or in the microwave until heated through.
Linda
So excited to try this delicious-sounding recipe. Please verify the bread crumbs are dry and not fresh. Thank you.
Amanda Scarlati
Yes, bread crumbs are dry!
Chrissy Frey
Made this today for the Feast of the Seven Fishes and it was amazingly delicious. This is a traditional dish that was my favorite growing up. Like most Italians my mother and father never used a recipe, and ai.never cooked this with them. I was so happy to find a recipe that was just as good as what I ammused to. This will now become a regular staple in our Christmas menu
Amanda Scarlati
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Happy Holidays!
Jeanne
This was so delicious! After tasting I wish I had tripled the recipe so there would have been leftovers to freeze for later!
Amanda
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! It's one of our favorites 🙂