Annabel (aka Bel) and I were at the supermarket last week. As we walked through the pasta section, she pointed out a package of cannelloni, asking me if I had seen such a pasta shape before. I hadn’t. So, we decided to get it as Bel had already thought of the recipe: cannelloni stuffed with beef mince for dinner – it was heavenly!
It was enjoyable writing up this recipe since Bel hardly ever measures any of the ingredients. Hence, I had to quiz her and challenge her to give me the approximates.
Cheesy Cannelloni Stuffed With Beef Mince
Baked cannelloni is a versatile dish like other kinds of pasta; you can fill them with almost anything! Think of it as a clear-the-fridge meal where you just need to dice everything up and fill the cannelloni.
Ingredients
Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter - unsalted
1 cup milk - skim
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¾ cup heavy cream (also called thickened cream)
¾ cup cheddar cheese - grated
¼ teaspoon salt
Filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion - small, diced
1 medium carrots - diced
¾ pound ground beef - minced beef
⅚ pound passata or crushed tomatoes (tomato puree with seeds removed) - 1 tin of crushed tomatoes, save some of the liquid for later
1 teaspoon Italian herbs (oregano, rosemary, thyme, and sometimes basil and parsley) - basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram- ½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 ¾ cups spinach - finely chopped
1 teaspoon tomato paste - optional
Pasta:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ pound cannelloni pasta
- ⅛ cup tomato liquid - saved from the can above
1 cup parmesan cheese - grated
Instructions
Sauce preparation:
- Over medium fire, melt the butter in a medium to large pot. Add cornstarch, milk and cream. Whisk the mixture until it is homogeneous.
- Pour in the cheddar cheese and continue whisking. Add the salt and whisk for 3 minutes until the sauce is thick. If the sauce becomes too thick, add some water to thin it down.
Filling preparation:
- In a large, wide skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and stir until soft but not brown.
- Add the carrots and stir for about 3 minutes.
- Add the minced beef, constantly breaking chunks to loosen it up. Turn to low heat and cook until all the minced meat is cooked.
- Add the canned tomato and stir. Add salt and Italian seasoning. If you like the tomato taste to be stronger, add tomato puree.
- Add spinach and stir to combine. Spinach does not need to be cooked. Set aside.
Preparing the cannelloni:
- In a large pot, pour water until it is 1/2 to 3/4 full. Add the oil and the salt and set over high heat. Boil until cannelloni is slightly soft but not fully cooked, about 8 minutes. When done, strain the water out and pour cold tap water over the pasta, so they do not stick.
- Preheat oven to 190°C or 375°F.
- Take out a large rectangular baking dish. Holding the cannelloni with you left hand and a teaspoon on your right hand, scoop some of the filling and fill the cannelloni. Lay the filled cannelloni on the baking dish. It is okay to put multiple layers of filled cannelloni on top of one another if there are extra. Do not throw away the cannelloni that are broken. Instead, you can lay them on top.
- Pour the sauce over the filled cannelloni, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle the tomato liquid all over and grate as much parmesan cheese as you desire on top. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is brown.
Nutrition
Calories: 1478kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 70gFat: 116gSaturated Fat: 56gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 43gTrans Fat: 3gCholesterol: 324mgSodium: 4027mgPotassium: 1715mgFiber: 5gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 12057IUVitamin C: 31mgCalcium: 1232mgIron: 7mg
Have you tried this recipe?Please leave a rating and comment.
