As you know, I am hosting this month’s challenge at the Daring Cooks and I challenged my fellow daring cooks to make Italian Cannelloni from scratch!  After posting about the first recipe I shared with them (Cannelloni di magro), today I will show you how to make beef and pork Cannelloni, which is another classic recipe.  It is a meat filled version of the dish and it also happens to be my husband’s favourite.  It is a pretty straightforward recipe but it requires a couple of extra steps if compared to the Cannelloni di magro recipe, as the filling has to be cooked before being used in the pasta, but I can guarantee that you will not mind the extra work when you eat it!  Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 4):
8 Cannelloni/lasagne sheets – as per my tutorial – made with 1 egg and 100 gms (2/3 cup and 2 tbsp) of flour
Béchamel sauce – as per my tutorial – made with 500 ml (2 cups) of milk, 50 gms (3 ½ tbsp) of butter and 50 gms (1/3 cup) of flour

For the filling
400 gms – 1 lb beef mince
400 gms – 1 lb pork mince (or another 400 gms – 1 lb of beef mince if you do not eat pork)
1 onion, chopped
45 ml – 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 bay leaf
75 ml – 5 tbsp white wine (optional – you can skip this if you do not drink alcohol)
85 gm – 1 ½ cups Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
200 ml – ¾ cups of the béchamel sauce as per above recipe
Salt and pepper to taste

For the tomato sauce
1 small onion, chopped
30 ml – 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
680 ml – 2 ¾ cups of tomato purée
A few basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

To assemble
The remaining (about 300 ml – 1¼ cup) béchamel sauce as per above recipe
35 gms – ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated

Start by cooking the meat for the filling.  Put the 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan with the chopped onion and sauté until soft and translucent.  Now add the mince and bay leaf and stir well with a wooden spoon making sure you remove all the lumps.  Brown the meat well.  Add the white wine (if you are using it – otherwise add some water, just enough to cook the meat) and raise the fire to burn off the alcohol.  Cook for 10 minutes on medium fire and then keep it aside to cool down.

Now prepare the tomato sauce.  Place the 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pot with the chopped onion and sauté until soft and translucent.  Now add the tomato purée, salt, pepper and basil leaves.  Cover it and cook it on a low flame for 20 minutes.  Then keep it aside to cool down.

To make the filling, mix the cooked mince with the ¾ cup (200 ml) of béchamel sauce and 1½ cups (85 gm/3 oz) of Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Put a large pot with salty water on the fire and bring to a boil.  Cook the pasta sheets in it for 1 minute.  Do this in batches (I use a shallow but large pot and I cook them in 1 layer, so I am sure they do not stick together).  Remove them with a slotted spoon and put them on a clean tea towel to cool down.

Now take one sheet of cooked pasta and put 1/8 of the filling along the long side of the rectangle.  Roll it over to make a cannellone.  Do so for the remaining rectangles of pasta.

Take a big enough oven dish to fit all your cannelloni tightly.  Spray it with some cooking oil (or melted butter) and pour some tomato sauce on the bottom.  Spread it well, especially in the corners.  Put the cannelloni in the oven dish on 1 layer.

Cover the cannelloni with the remaining tomato sauce and 1¼ cup/300 ml béchamel sauce and sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup (35 gm/1 oz) of Parmigiano Reggiano.

Bake them in a pre-heated moderate oven 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 for 20 minutes, then broil (grill) them at 400°F/200°C for another 5 minutes.

Serve immediately.

5 from 1 vote

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Cannelloni di Carne

Cannelloni di carne: Italian egg pasta rolls filled with meat.

Course Main

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes

Servings 4

Author Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

• 8 Cannelloni/lasagne sheets – as per my tutorial – made with 1 egg and 100 gms 2/3 cup and 2 tbsp of flour
• Béchamel sauce – as per my tutorial – made with 500 ml 2 cups of milk, 50 gms (3 ½ tbsp) of butter and 50 gms (1/3 cup) of flour

For the filling

• 400 gms – 1 lb beef mince
• 400 gms – 1 lb pork mince or another 400 gms – 1 lb of beef mince if you do not eat pork
• 1 onion chopped
• 45 ml – 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 75 ml – 5 tbsp white wine optional – you can skip this if you do not drink alcohol
• 85 gm – 1 ½ cups Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated
• 200 ml – ¾ cups of the béchamel sauce as per above recipe
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the tomato sauce

• 1 small onion chopped
• 30 ml – 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 680 ml – 2 ¾ cups of tomato purée
• A few basil leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste

To assemble

• The remaining about 300 ml – 1¼ cup béchamel sauce as per above recipe
• 35 gms – ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated

Instructions

1. Start by cooking the meat for the filling. Put the 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan with the chopped onion and sauté until soft and translucent. Now add the mince and bay leaf and stir well with a wooden spoon making sure you remove all the lumps. Brown the meat well. Add the white wine (if you are using it – otherwise add some water, just enough to cook the meat) and raise the fire to burn off the alcohol. Cook for 10 minutes on medium fire and then keep it aside to cool down.
2. Now prepare the tomato sauce. Place the 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pot with the chopped onion and sauté until soft and translucent. Now add the tomato purée, salt, pepper and basil leaves. Cover it and cook it on a low flame for 20 minutes. Then keep it aside to cool down.
3. To make the filling, mix the cooked mince with the ¾ cup (200 ml) of béchamel sauce and 1½ cups (85 gm/3 oz) of Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
4. Put a large pot with salty water on the fire and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta sheets in it for 1 minute. Do this in batches (I use a shallow but large pot and I cook them in 1 layer, so I am sure they do not stick together). Remove them with a slotted spoon and put them on a clean tea towel to cool down.
5. Now take one sheet of cooked pasta and put 1/8 of the filling along the long side of the rectangle. Roll it over to make a cannellone. Do so for the remaining rectangles of pasta.
6. Take a big enough oven dish to fit all your cannelloni tightly. Spray it with some cooking oil (or melted butter) and pour some tomato sauce on the bottom. Spread it well, especially in the corners. Put the cannelloni in the oven dish on 1 layer.
7. Cover the cannelloni with the remaining tomato sauce and 1¼ cup/300 ml béchamel sauce and sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup (35 gm/1 oz) of Parmigiano Reggiano.
8. Bake them in a pre-heated moderate oven 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 for 20 minutes, then broil (grill) them at 400°F/200°C for another 5 minutes.
9. Serve immediately.

Related Posts:

• CANNELLONI AL PESTO
• CANNELLONI WITH RICOTTA, HAM AND FONTINA
• CANNELLONI DI MAGRO
• Porcini and Taleggio Lasagne
• Radicchio and Taleggio Lasagne