I was never a big fan of lasagna because there are too many layers of the pasta itself, and I’m not so into carbs. So here, I made an alternative for protein lovers or merely those on a perennial diet–Creamy Beef and Spinach Cannelloni.
This cylindrical type of pasta, though, is easier to prepare. You stuff them with meat, cover them with lots of béchamel and more sauce, and then place them in the oven. It’s also so much lighter on the stomach.
Creamy Beef and Spinach Cannelloni
You'll surely love this yummy recipe for creamy beef and spinach cannelloni. it's my absolute favorite and everyone I know loves it too!
Ingredients
Pasta Ingredients
Tomato Sauce Ingredients
- 2 cans tomatoes - whole peeled
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons basil - chopped
- 4 tablespoons Neapolitan Sauce or Pasta sauce Southern Hemisphere (Tomato Sauce in North America)
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 dash paprika
Béchamel Sauce Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour (plain flour Australia and UK)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1½ tetra packs milk - whole
- 1 dash nutmeg
- 1 cup gruyere cheese - grated
Stuffing Ingredients
- 2 cups spinach
- 150 grams ground beef (minced beef)
- ½ cup cooking cream
- 1 dash garlic powder
- 1 dash onion powder
- ½ cup Mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Prepare béchamel like how you prepare gravy: melt butter, add flour, add milk, cinnamon and gruyere. Then set aside.
- Let all the ingredients for the tomato sauce simmer in a pot for 30 minutes. Then set aside.
- Sauce beef in a little olive oil, toss in spinach when beef is cooked until wilted. Add in cream and béchamel, a dash of onion and garlic powder.
- Allow to simmer for a bit, then remove from heat.
- To assemble, preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius.
- Place tomato all over the bottom of an oven-safe dish.
- Using a teaspoon, stuff cannelloni with just enough spinach beef mixture and let them lie on the dish making sure to leave space between each cannelloni so they don’t stick together.
- Top with a mixture of béchamel and some more beef spinach mixture if you have excess.
- Pour all leftover tomato sauce around the cannellonis.
- Cover the pasta with aluminium foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Check if the cannelloni has cooked through, meaning they’re like pasta soft already, if not covered, and leave longer.
- If it’s cooked, discard foil, top with mozzarella and gruyere and crank up your oven to max or to broil.
- Wait until cheese has completely melted.
- You can do these last two steps just a few mins before serving if you’re planning to make this dish ahead.
- Serve them warm with crusty bread and a glass of bubbly or sparkling wine.
Nutrition
Calories: 734kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 34gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 26gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 146mgSodium: 626mgPotassium: 384mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2778IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 671mgIron: 3mg
How did this recipe turn out for you?We’re eager to hear your thoughts!