Best Italian Cannelloni Recipes

ITALIAN SAUSAGE, SPINACH, AND RICOTTA CANNELLONI

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion until fragrant and translucent. Add the Italian sausage meat, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon and brown it until no longer pink, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the excess fat from the sausage meat, and set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl stir together the drained and squeeze-dried spinach, ricotta, 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, eggs, cooled Italian sausage and onion mixture, salt, and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Place the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the fresh pasta rectangles for 1 minute and remove with a slotted spatula. Set aside. In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, spread 2 cups tomato sauce. Working with 1 pasta rectangle at a time, spread 6 tablespoons filling along one edge and roll the pasta sheet up tightly, leaving the ends open. Repeat until you have 8 cannelloni. Arrange the prepared cannelloni, seam-side down, in a single layer in the baking dish. Spoon the remaining 2 cups tomato sauce evenly over the cannelloni. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup grated Parmesan over top. Bake the cannelloni for 20 minutes and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve the cannelloni with extra tomato sauce from the baking dish and garnish with fresh basil.
• To make fresh pasta dough: Mound the flour on a clean work surface. Hollow out the center making a well in the middle of the flour with steep sides. Break the eggs into the well. Add the salt, and olive oil to the hollow center and gently mix together with a fork. Gradually start incorporating the flour by pulling in the flour from the sides of the well. As you incorporate more of the flour, the dough will start to take shape. With your hands or a bench scraper continue working the dough until it comes together. If the dough is too dry, add a little water; if too wet or sticky, add a little flour. Begin kneading the dough and keep kneading until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. At this point, set the dough aside, cover it with plastic, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. You can store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but allow it to return to room temperature before rolling it out. Divide the pasta dough into 4 even sections. Keep each section covered with plastic wrap or a clean towel while you work with each one. Flour the dough, the rollers of a pasta roller (or your rolling pin), your hands, and the work surface. If using a pasta machine: Flatten 1 of the of the dough pieces between your hands or with a floured rolling pin until it forms a thick oval disk. Dust the disk, the roller, and your hands with additional flour. Flour a baking sheet to hold the rolled out finished pasta. With the roller on the widest setting, pass the pasta through the machine's rollers a few times until it is smooth. Fold the dough over into 1/3, and continue to pass through a few more times until the pasta is smooth again. Begin adjusting the pasta machine settings to become thinner, passing the dough through a few times at each setting. If rolling the pasta by hand: Flatten a dough piece into a thick oval disk with your hands. Flour a baking sheet for the rolled out finished pasta. Place the oval dough disk on a floured work surface, and sprinkle with additional flour. Begin rolling out the dough with a floured rolling pin working from the center of the dough outwards, constantly moving the dough and lifting it to make sure it's not sticking.
• To make Simple Tomato Sauce: In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, and garlic and cook until soft and golden brown. Add the basil and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. With a potato masher, break up the tomatoes to achieve a sauce-like consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve. Cook's Note: Tomato sauce will last 1 week in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer.

ITALIAN BAKED CANNELLONI

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and saute ground beef with the onion, sage and rosemary; cook until meat is evenly browned and crumbly. Drain fat. Add salt and 1/2 cup white wine; cook until wine is evaporated. Set mixture aside.
• To make the Bechamel sauce: Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir until well incorporated. Stir in milk and bring to a slow boil until mixture thickens. Remove sauce from the heat. In a steady stream, pour the bechamel in to the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly. Stir the sauce into the meat mixture. Stir in the cubed mozzarella.
• In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter and saute onion until soft and translucent. Add 1/2 cup white wine and let it cook down to evaporate; add stewed tomatoes and salt. Mix well; simmer for 15 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, a few at a time, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; using a slotted spoon, remove immediately to a pot filled with cold water. Lift pasta out with slotted spoon and arrange on a flat surface.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Spoon a line of filling into each shell, starting from one end and using your finger to push the filling inside of each shell. Place cannelloni in prepared baking dish and cover with tomato sauce mixture.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until heated through; when finished baking, allow to stand for 5 minutes and serve.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE, SPINACH, AND RICOTTA CANNELLONI

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion until fragrant and translucent. Add the Italian sausage meat, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon and brown it until no longer pink, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the excess fat from the sausage meat, and set aside to cool.
• In a large mixing bowl stir together the drained and squeeze-dried spinach, ricotta, 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, eggs, cooled Italian sausage and onion mixture, salt, and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
• Place the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the fresh pasta rectangles for 1 minute and remove with a slotted spatula. Set aside.
• In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, spread 2 cups tomato sauce. Working with 1 pasta rectangle at a time, spread 6 tablespoons filling along one edge and roll the pasta sheet up tightly, leaving the ends open. Repeat until you have 8 cannelloni.
• Arrange the prepared cannelloni, seam-side down, in a single layer in the baking dish. Spoon the remaining 2 cups tomato sauce evenly over the cannelloni. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup grated Parmesan over top.
• Bake the cannelloni for 20 minutes and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.
• Serve the cannelloni with extra Tomato Sauce from the baking dish and garnish with fresh basil.
• Fresh Pasta Dough:
• Mound the flour on a clean work surface. Hollow out the center making a well in the middle of the flour with steep sides.
• Break the eggs into the well. Add the salt, and olive oil to the hollow center and gently mix together with a fork. Gradually start incorporating the flour by pulling in the flour from the sides of the well. As you incorporate more of the flour, the dough will start to take shape.
• With your hands or a bench scraper continue working the dough until it comes together. If the dough is too dry, add a little water; if too wet or sticky, add a little flour.
• Begin kneading the dough and keep kneading until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. At this point, set the dough aside, cover it with plastic, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. You can store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but allow it to return to room temperature before rolling it out.
• Divide the pasta dough into 4 even sections. Keep each section covered with plastic wrap or a clean towel while you work with each one. Flour the dough, the rollers of a pasta roller (or your rolling pin), your hands, and the work surface.
• If using a pasta machine:
• Flatten 1 of the of the dough pieces between your hands or with a floured rolling pin until it forms a thick oval disk. Dust the disk, the roller, and your hands with additional flour. Flour a baking sheet to hold the rolled out finished pasta.
• With the roller on the widest setting, pass the pasta through the machine's rollers a few times until it is smooth. Fold the dough over into 1/3, and continue to pass through a few more times until the pasta is smooth again. Begin adjusting the pasta machine settings to become thinner, passing the dough through a few times at each setting.
• If rolling the pasta by hand:
• Flatten a dough piece into a thick oval disk with your hands. Flour a baking sheet for the rolled out finished pasta. Place the oval dough disk on a floured work surface, and sprinkle with additional flour. Begin rolling out the dough with a floured rolling pin working from the center of the dough outwards, constantly moving the dough and lifting it to make sure it's not sticking.
• Simple Tomato Sauce:
• In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, and garlic and cook until soft and golden brown. Add the basil and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. With a potato masher, break up the tomatoes to achieve a sauce-like consistency.
• Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.
• Cook's Note:
• Tomato sauce will last 1 week in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer.

ITALIAN CANNELLONI

Steps:

• In oil in a large frypan, cook and stir onion, garlic until the onion is tender.
• Add beef and pork and continue cooking until beef is brown. Remove from heat and drain excess oil.
• Mix in half the parmesan cheese, cream, eggs and seasonings.
• When cool enough to handle, stuff uncooked cannelloni noodles with mixture. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 3.5 litre pan. Arrange stuffed cannelloni in a single layer and pour remaining sauce over, being certain to cover all the pasta.
• Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and dot with butter.
• Cover with foil and bake at 375 F for 55 -60 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. (during last 10 minutes shredded mozzeralla can be sprinkled on top and the foil removed if desired.).

ITALIAN SAUSAGE, SPINACH, AND RICOTTA CANNELLONI

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion until fragrant and translucent. Add the Italian sausage meat, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon and brown it until no longer pink, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the excess fat from the sausage meat, and set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl stir together the drained and squeeze-dried spinach, ricotta, 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, eggs, cooled Italian sausage and onion mixture, salt, and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Place the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the fresh pasta rectangles for 1 minute and remove with a slotted spatula. Set aside. In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, spread 2 cups tomato sauce. Working with 1 pasta rectangle at a time, spread 6 tablespoons filling along one edge and roll the pasta sheet up tightly, leaving the ends open. Repeat until you have 8 cannelloni. Arrange the prepared cannelloni, seam-side down, in a single layer in the baking dish. Spoon the remaining 2 cups tomato sauce evenly over the cannelloni. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup grated Parmesan over top. Bake the cannelloni for 20 minutes and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve the cannelloni with extra tomato sauce from the baking dish and garnish with fresh basil. To make Simple Tomato Sauce: In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, and garlic and cook until soft and golden brown. Add the basil and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. With a potato masher, break up the tomatoes to achieve a sauce-like consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve. Cook's Note: Tomato sauce will last 1 week in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE SPINACH CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Cook manicotti according to package directions; drain. Set aside. (Or don't and increase the sauce measurements. If increasing the sauce measurements you may want to use a roaster or a deeper pan.).
• To prepare tomato sauce: In Dutch oven (or large heavy saucepan) add olive oil and 1 cup onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until onions are soft (5-8 minutes). Add tomatoes, reserved juice, and all remaining sauce ingredients (tomato paste, basil, sugar, 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 t pepper). Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until sauce just comes to a boil (2-4 minutes). Cover; reduce heat to low. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, 35 minutes.
• Meanwhile, to prepare filling: in 10-inch skillet add sausage, 1/4 cup onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sausage is browned (10-12 minutes). Drain off fat. Add spinach. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until spinach is soft (2-3 minutes). Place sausage mixture in large bowl. Cool 10 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup Parmesan, eggs, oregano, and 1/4 t pepper. Set aside.
• To prepare bechamel sauce: in 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth and bubbly (1 minute). Add milk, whipping cream, and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens (5-8 minutes).
• Heat oven to 375. Divide filling between manicotti tubes using a small spoon to fill each tube with about 2 T of filling (I use my clean hands--think stuffing a roll of coins). Place 1/4 cup tomato sauce on bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking pan (more if you don't boil the noodles and in a deeper pan). Place filled tubes on top of tomato sauce. Pour bechamel sauce over tubes. Top with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.
• **This is a great OAMC recipe. Before cooking/prep day, I would prepare the tomato sauce and sausage/spinach filling mixture and chill (I would prepare the tomato sauce anyway to serve as a pasta sauce--I could literally drink the stuff!). Make the bechamel sauce the day of your big session. Fill the tubes and prep the pans. Cook 45 minutes (Covered!), wrap in foil and freeze. On "eating day," cook at 375 until tubes are al dente (they probably already will be) and bubbly and cheese is melted. I would keep it covered for most of the cooking time. This is a very very rich recipe, so I would serve with a salad of bitter greens tossed in a sharp vinaigrette. It says it serves 8, but, as I said, the sauces are so rich that I can't really eat more than one tube, so I would say it serves 14.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE, SPINACH, AND RICOTTA CANNELLONI - KELSEY NIXON

Steps:

• In large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion until fragrant and translucent. Add the Italian sausage meat, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon and brown it until no longer pink. About 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the excess fat from the sausage meat, and set aside to cool.
• In a large mixing bowl stir together the drained and squeeze-dried spinach, ricotta, 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, eggs, cooled Italian sausage and onion mixture, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• Place the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the fresh pasta rectangles for 1 minute and remove with slotted spatula. Set aside.
• In a 9x13 inch baking dish, spread 2 cups tomato sauce. Working with 1 pasta rectangle at a time, spread 6 tablespoons filling along one edge and roll the pasta sheet up tightly, leaving the ends open. Repeat until you have 8 cannelloni.
• Arrange the prepared cannelloni, seam side down, in a single layer in the baking dish. Spoon the remaining 2 cups tomato sauce evenly over the cannelloni. drizzle edges of pasta with olive oil to crisp. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan over the top.
• Bake the cannelloni for 30 minutes and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.
• To make the fresh pasta dough:.
• Mound the flour on a clean work surface. Hollow out the center making a well in the middle of the flour with steep sides. Not too steep or will cave in Make big enough well for ingredients.
• Break the eggs into the well. Add the salt, and olive oil to the hollow center and gently mix together with a fork. Gradually start incorporating the flour by pulling in the flour from the sides of the well. As you incorporate more of the flour, the dough will start to take shape.
• With your hands or a bench scraper continue working the dough until it comes together. If the dough is too dry, add a little water. If too wet or sticky, add a little flour.
• Begin kneading the dough and keep kneading until it becomes smooth and elastic. About 6-10 minutes. At this point, set the dough aside, cover it with plastic and let it rest for 30 minutes. (in refrigerator) You can store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. But allow it to return to room temperature before rolling it out.
• Divide the pasta dough into 4 even sections. Keep each section covered with plastic wrap or a clean towel while you work with each one. Flour the dough, the rollers of a pasta roller (or your rolling pin). Your hands, and the work surface. You eventually will have 8 canneloni sometimes I roll out and then cut each in half other times it is too hard and I cut in half before I roll out.
• If using a pasta machine. flatten 1 of the dough pieces between your hands or with a floured rolling pin until it forms a thick oval disk. Dust the disk, the roller, and your hands with additional flour. Flour a baking sheet to hold the rolled out finished pasta.
• With the roller on the widest setting, pass the pasta through the machine's rollers a few times until it is smooth again. Begin adjusting the pasta machine settings to become thinner, passing the dough through 2 times at each setting.
• If rolling the pasta by hand: flatten a dough piece into a thick oval disk with your hands. Flour a baking sheet for the rolled out finished pasta. Place the oval dough disk on a floured work surface, and sprinkle the additional flour. Begin rolling out the dough with a floured rolling pin working from the center of the dough outwards, constantly moving the dough and lifting it to make sure it's not sticking.
• To Make the Simple Tomato Sauce.
• In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, and garlic and cook until soft and golden brown. Add the basil and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Add the canned tomato with their juices and bring to boil. stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. With a potato masher, break up the tomatoes to achieve a sauce-like consistency.
• Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.
• Cook's Note: Tomato sauce will last 1 week in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer.

ITALIAN STYLE PORK AND SPINACH CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
• In a large bowl combine the pork mince, ricotta, spinach leaves, eggs, lemon thyme and pepper and mix well.
• Place the pork mixture into a piping bag with a large 4 cm plain tube.
• Lay the lasagne sheets on flat board and cut sheets into 2 or 3 sections depending upon size.
• Pipe the pork mixture onto the centre of each sheet of pasta. Roll to enclose filling. Brush the edge with a little water to seal. Place each roll fold side down in a shallow oven-proof dish in a single layer.
• Pour over the tomato pasta sauce and sprinkle surface with grated mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes until cheese is bubbling. Serve hot with crisp garden salad.
• Note:.
• This dish can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for 48 hours prior to baking.

ITALIAN BAKED CANNELLONI

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and saute ground beef with the onion, sagea nd rosemary.
• Cook until meat is evenly browned and crumbly and drain fat.
• Add salt and 1/2 cup white wine, cooking until wine is evaporated. Set aside.
• Bechamel Sauce: In a medium sauce pan, melt 4 Tbsp butter over medium heat.
• Add flour and stir until well incorporated.
• Sir in milk and bring to a slow boil until mixture thickens and remove from heat.
• In a steady stream, pour the bechamel into the beaten egg yoks, whisking constantly.
• Stir the suace into the meat mixture.
• Stir in cubed mozzarella.
• Ina medium saucepan over medium low heat, melt 2 Tbsp butter and saute onion until soft.
• Add 1/2 cup white wine and cook to evapourate.
• Add stewed tomatoes and salt, mixing well. Simmer for 15-minutes.
• In a large pot boil salted water.
• Add pasta, a few at a time and cook for 8-10 minutes until al denta.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove immediately to pot filled with cold water.
• lift pasta out with slotted spoon and arrange on a flat surface.
• Preheat oven 400F.
• Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
• Spoon a line of filling into each shell, starting from one end and using your finger to push the filling inside of each shell.
• Place Cannelloni in dish and cover with tomao sauce mixture.
• Bake for 15-minutes until heated through.
• Let stand 5-minutes and serve.

HOMEMADE ITALIAN 101 - CLASSIC SPINACH CANNELLONI

Steps:

• To make the sauce, add olive oil to a pressure cooker and heat over medium heat (with the lid off). Add the onions and sauté several minutes, until soft; add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Reduce heat, put lid on pressure cooker and seal. Turn heat on high until hear pressure hiss. Turn to medium or just low enough to maintain the flow of steam coming out of the pressure valve. Set timer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest or do 'quick' release method to release steam.
• To make the fresh pasta, add flour to the bowl of a food processor, fitted w/the blade attachment. Beat eggs and oil in bowl and pour over the flour. Place the lid on the food processor and run the machine until combine and sticky consistency, about 15 seconds Dump the dough on floured flat working surface and knead 3 to 4 times. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 20 minutes. When ready to roll out, unwrap dough and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Cut into quarters, wrap dough back up if not using and set aside. Working with 1/4 of the dough, set up a pasta rolling machine and send dough through the largest setting (1) five times, folding between each turn. Continue to roll through the machine, moving to the next smallest setting each time. Stop when reach desired thickness (setting 8 on my machine). Repeat with remaining dough sections. Will make about 22-24 cannelloni shells. Cut dough into 4" sections and cover with damp towel until ready to fill.
• Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees F. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet, add salt, onion, garlic and spinach and cook until onions and spinach are soft and liquid cooked off. Add onion/spinach mixture to a medium bowl and combine with remaining ingredients stir to reach a smooth consistency. Line the bottom of a greased casserole dish with a portion of the sauce. Fill each shell with 1/4 cup of filling, and roll up. Place in the baking sheet and top with more sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan and bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until hot and bubbling.