Meat cannelloni are one of the classic first courses for special occasions. Today, let’s see how to make them easily and quickly at home by preparing all the ingredients.
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- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Cooking time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 240.88 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 18.54 (g) of which sugars 4.43 (g)
- Proteins 12.17 (g)
- Fat 13.09 (g) of which saturated 7.43 (g)of which unsaturated 5.06 (g)
- Fibers 1.50 (g)
- Sodium 489.25 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 4 people:
To make excellent homemade cannelloni, I recommend making the ragù, fresh pasta, and béchamel yourself.
- 5.3 oz fresh pasta
- 12.3 oz ragù
- 7.1 oz béchamel
- 1.8 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
Tools:
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Baking Dish
- 1 Pot (with 3-liter capacity)
- 1 Pot (with 1.5-liter capacity)
- 1 Bowl (with 3-liter capacity)
Procedure
Cannelloni are made with three main recipes: ragù, béchamel, and fresh pasta. For delicious cannelloni, I recommend making them fresh and homemade.
First, I recommend following the instructions to make a delicious homemade meat ragù.
To better arrange the ragù inside the cannelloni, it should be cold and compact. It’s better to let it cool in the refrigerator after cooking and use it when cold.
While the ragù rests, I recommend preparing the homemade fresh pasta, the final result will be absolutely better.
Let the pasta rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and then roll it out very thin (about 0.04 inches) with the help of semolina flour.
Once rolled out, the pasta should be worked with to prevent it from drying out or becoming too stiff.
Here are the instructions for making a delicious homemade béchamel.
Béchamel tends to thicken once cooked, so I recommend turning off the heat when it’s still slightly liquid.
Once the main ingredients are prepared, cut the rolled-out fresh pasta into rectangles of 6 inches x 3.5 inches. Cook the obtained sheets (about 8) in plenty of salted water for 3-4 minutes.
When the first sheet is cooked, let it cool on a towel or a plate. Be careful not to overlap them while they’re still hot and wet because they will stick together.
Now let’s assemble the cannelloni. If you want to keep it simple, you can use the short side (you’ll have more pasta and more turns), otherwise, you can use the long side (6 inches).
Place the ragù on the pasta sheet about 1 inch from the start of the pasta, don’t start from the edge because it’s harder to roll the pasta.
To make the cannelloni even tastier, besides the ragù, I also add a spoonful of béchamel inside the cannelloni.
Now all that remains is to roll the cannelloni, making sure the seam is on the bottom so it doesn’t open during cooking.
If necessary, you can add some ragù on the two sides so the cannelloni are filled and perfectly circular.
Place a base of béchamel on the bottom of the baking dish, it will help you to detach them better once cooked. Add the cannelloni one after the other once prepared until you run out of pasta sheets.
Finish the cannelloni with a generous amount of béchamel, a few tablespoons of ragù, and a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Bake the dish in a preheated oven at 356°F (static mode) for 15-20 minutes and then 5 minutes at the highest temperature with the grill function so that a crispy crust forms on the surface.
Your meat cannelloni are ready!
Plating Tips:
Meat cannelloni are served freshly baked in individual plates, with the indicated doses you can serve 4 cannelloni for each guest. Nothing else is needed except careful attention to not ruin the round shape or break them while placing them on the plate.
Wine Pairing with Cannelloni
I recommend serving this dish with a full-bodied and structured red wine that can complement the richness of the ragù and the creaminess of the béchamel. For example, you can serve a noble red wine like a Montepulciano or a Barolo.
