Cannelloni, is created by rolling a tube of fresh pasta around a filling. Some recipes substitute thin crepes for the pasta. Cannelloni filling can also be used to fill manicotti. The name itself literally means big tube or big pipes.

Cannelloni was invented by the Chef Nicola Federico in 1907, in Sorrento, Italy. http://www.rovinginsight.org/library/index.php?content=fnb-recipes-article-049

Cannelloni are traditionally filled with meat, spinach, ricotta cheese, tomato sauce, and then baked. If you are a vegetarian, you can omit the meat. Cannelloni are rich and filling whether they contain meat or not.

In this how to cook cannelloni guide, you can learn how to make cannelloni stuffed with beef, spinach, and ricotta cheese with béchamel sauce and tomato sauce. This recipe will yield 6 portions of cannelloni. You need to prepare a large heat-resistant casserole dish to bake the dish in the oven. This recipe will take about 2 hours from preparation to finish.

• 1/2 lb fresh pasta sheets
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

For the filling:

• 1 packet/ 10 oz of frozen spinach, thawed, drain, and chopped.
• 1 lb/ 500g ground beef
• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 onion, chopped.
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• salt, to taste
• Olive oil

For the béchamel sauce:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 bay leaf
• a pinch of nutmeg, optional
• salt and pepper, to taste

For the tomato sauce:

• 1 can of 8 oz tomato paste
• 4 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup of water
• 2 tsp dried basil
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat few tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Add garlic and onion and stir fry until fragrant.
2. Add the beef and brown, breaking the lumps.
3. Add the spinach, tomato sauce, and the seasonings. Saute for 3 minutes and remove from heat.
4. Mix the ricotta cheese with the eggs. Add to the beef and spinach and mix well.

1. Melt the butter in pan. Add the flour and stir constantly to smoothen the mixture.
2. Add the milk gradually and stir to mix until smooth.
3. Boil until the sauce thickens. Add the seasonings and boil for 2 more minutes.
4. Remove from heat and keep it covered.

The béchamel sauce adds richness to the dish, but it takes some attention to make. You can also omit the béchamel sauce altogether. If you are not using béchamel sauce, increase the tomato sauce by 1/2 recipe. You can read the alternative way to make the béchamel sauce in the instructional video.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F/ 190 C
2. To make the tomato sauce, place all ingredients in a saucepan and boils, stirring constantly. Simmer until the tomatoes are soft.
3. Cut the pasta into 3 by 4 inch rectangles
4. Boil the pasta in salted water with a little olive oil until tender. Drain.
5. Spread 1/4 of the tomato sauce in the casserole dish.
6. Spread a tablespoon of filling on each pasta rectangle, rolling it up jelly roll style.
7. Place the cannelloni in the baking dish.
8. Add the béchamel sauce and pour the remaining tomato sauce.
9. Spread grated mozzarella cheese on top.
10. Bake uncovered for around 20 – 25 minutes until the dish is golden brown and the cheese caramelizes. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.