Cannelloni with lentils and cotechino, a perfect main course for the holidays, with a unique and original flavor, also great for preparing in advance.
The process may seem lengthy and laborious, but if you prepare the lentils and béchamel sauce the day before, it will all become much easier and quicker.
For the lentils, we used the recipe for FLAVORFUL LENTILS cooked in the pressure cooker, in just 15 minutes.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients for Cannelloni with Lentils and Cotechino:
- 1.5 cups dry lentils
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 sprig sage
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- to taste fine salt
- to taste black pepper
- to taste vegetable broth
- 1 quart whole milk
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- to taste nutmeg
- to taste fine salt
- 1 pre-cooked cotechino, 500 grams
- 1.5 cups grated parmesan cheese
- dry cannelloni
Tools for Cannelloni with Lentils and Cotechino:
- 1 Baking Dish
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Knife
Steps for Preparing and Cooking Cannelloni with Lentils and Cotechino.
First, prepare the lentils. We recommend preparing them the day before: soak them in water for 12 hours, then rinse them well.
In a saucepan, place the peeled and finely chopped carrot, onion, and celery stalk, add the sage and rosemary and the extra virgin olive oil, cook for 5 minutes, then add the tomato paste, lentils, salt and pepper, the vegetable broth (it should cover them by about 1 inch), stir well, and cook for 40 minutes. Alternatively, you can cook them in a pressure cooker following the times indicated in the recipe for FLAVORFUL LENTILS (just be careful that the quantity of lentils you need to use is different).
When the lentils are cooked, let them cool well.
Prepare the butterless béchamel following the recipe, just remember to double the ingredients.
In a saucepan, place the cotechino inside its packaging, add cold water, and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, cook for 20 minutes, then remove it from the saucepan, let the cooking liquid out by making a small slit in the packaging, then remove it from the packaging and dry it well on paper towels, remove the skin, and cut it into pieces, place it in the mixer and blend for a few seconds.
Transfer the cotechino to a large bowl.
Drain the lentils well and add them to the cotechino, also add the parmesan, 2 ladles of béchamel, and mix the mixture well.
Transfer the mixture into a piping bag with a star nozzle (we opened it this way, making it easier to fill the cannelloni), alternatively, you can fill them with a teaspoon.
In a Pyrex or non-stick baking dish approximately 9×11 inches, place a layer of béchamel, then put the cannelloni after filling them with the lentil and cotechino filling.
Put the remaining béchamel on top of the cannelloni, add plenty of parmesan, and bake at 375°F for about 30 minutes, until golden.
Serve the lentils nice and hot.
Advice:
You can prepare the dish in advance and refrigerate it, then cook it 30 minutes before serving.
