Delicious Cannelloni Bolognese – Italian Stuffed Pasta Dish
If there’s comfort food on a plate, then it’s either a delicious cannelloni bolognese, lasagna or anything that looks like a hug in a plate in my opinion. This pork and beef cannelloni recipe is one I always get back to when I need some comfort and it’s perfect to offer on those wintery sundays when you need a little pick me up.
Imagine these cannelloni bolognese just out of the oven, stringy cheese, a delicious smell of homemade sauce and that burnt corner everyone fights for, this is what Sunday lunches are made of.
What is cannelloni?
Cannelloni is a tasty filled Italian pasta dish that is now beloved all around the world. This dish is deeply rooted in the Italian culinary tradition. The name ‘cannellone‘ derives from the Italian word ‘canna‘, which means ‘tube‘ or ‘sugar cane‘, which hints at its shape.
Cannelloni were already popular in Roman times, but the modern version we know and love now, has actually more recent roots, dating to the early 20th century in Campania. From there, cannelloni have spread and become a tradition all over Italy, taking different names and creating different versions.
For example, cannelloni in Sicily is filled with ricotta and spinach and in Emilia they are filled with meat and béchamel sauce (so our cannelloni bolognese of this recipe). They have now become a traditional holiday dish and one to serve on Sunday lunches.
What ingredients do I need to make cannelloni bolognese?
To make this traditional beef cannelloni recipe you will need:
- fresh pasta sheets: the base of the cannelloni bolognese, rolled up to hold the rich filling, or you can also use cannelloni tubes you find at the shop;
- béchamel sauce: adds creaminess and balances the robust meat sauce;
- minced meat (pork + beef): heart of the filling, giving depth and flavor. In the traditional bolognese sauce you would use pancetta instead of pork mince;
- tomato passata: creates the sauce, adding sweetness and acidity;
- water: helps the sauce simmer slowly and evenly.
- carrot: adds natural sweetness to balance the richness of the meat, an integral part of soffritto;
- onion: provides aromatic flavor and depth to the soffritto base;
- celery stick: adds an earthy note and rounds out the soffritto;
- extra virgin olive oil: used for sautéing and bringing out flavors;
- Parmesan: sharp, salty, and nutty; essential for the filling and topping;
- bay leaf: infuses the sauce with subtle herbal aroma;
- salt – Enhances and balances all the flavors;
- pepper – Adds warmth and a mild kick;
- white wine: adds acidity and enriches the sauce.
How do I make ragu bolognese?
So bolognese sauce is kind of like a hot topic, because everyone claims to have the original recipe, so we actually went to the source and used the one deposited at the Camera di Commercio di Bologna, with very few tweaks.
We used pork mince instead of the traditional pancetta, used a bit more tomato sauce than the original and used water instead of broth or milk to add to the sauce. Another point that a lot of people stand by is the use of red wine, but as you can see from this traditional recipe, you can use red or white.
The most important steps on bolognese sauce from what I have gathered are ingredients, cutting everything by knife instead of using a mixer and making sure you give time to the sauce to cook. You can find how to make bolognese sauce just under in the recipe.
How do I make cannelloni bolognese?
Start off your cannelloni ragu bolognese by preparing your bolognese sauce. Finely chop with a knife the onion, carrot, and celery to create a soffritto. Then, in a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then add the chopped vegetables and bay leaf. Sauté over medium heat until softened and fragrant.
Add the minced pork and beef mince to the pan. Cook until browned and use a wooden spoon to break it up while cooking. Then pour the white wine and let it evaporate. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir in the tomato passata and a litre of water. Bring it to a simmer and cook it uncovered on low heat for about an hour and a half, making sure to stir occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Once ready, remove the bay leaf and let the sauce cool slightly.
Transfer about half of your bolognese sauce to a bowl and mix a few tablespoons of bechamel and 40 g of grated parmesan. This will be your filling for the cannelloni.
Then preheat the oven to 180°C. Spread a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Then start creating your cannelloni shells, cut the fresh pasta sheets into rectangles (about 10×15 cm). Place a spoonful of filling on each sheet and roll tightly to form cannelloni. Arrange the cannelloni stuffed with meat on top of the sauce in the tray in a single layer.
Cover with the remaining meat sauce, then pour over the béchamel. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15–20 minutes until golden and bubbling. Let the cannelloni rest for 5 minutes before serving, so the layers set. Enjoy your stuffed cannelloni bolognese!
Can I use store-bought cannelloni shells?
You absolutely can! We went for fresh pasta sheets to create our own cannelloni bolognese shells, because I think they are better in texture. But we used cannelloni pasta tubes plenty of times, and they are good too!
If you want to go the extra step, you can actually make your own pasta sheets easily with some egg pasta dough. Making fresh pasta is actually very fun and not that difficult to start off with, and don’t worry, you can also make pasta without a machine.
Can I freeze cannelloni bolognese?
Yes, you absolutely can! That’s the beauty of this cannelloni bolognese comfort dish, you can freeze any leftovers for when you need them or prepare some bigger batches to use later on. You can cook them directly from frozen, just make sure to add around 15/20 minutes longer to the cooking time (make sure to always check).
Do you have any more pasta recipes?
We absolutely do, we couldn’t stop at sharing these cannelloni bolognese! We call ourselves obsessed with pasta, from eating to making it, and you can learn too here! But let’s get down to pasta business:
- ciriole pasta – thicker spaghetti-like pasta with that homemade rustic feel;
- pistachio lasagna – the goddess of pasta (after pasta water, because that’s liquid gold!), anything pistachio is a huge yes from us!
- pasta alla crudaiola – simple and quick to make, perfect for the summer too;
- rigatoni pomodoro – a classic that never gets old, simple and quick to make;
- baked mostaccioli con ricotta – another Italian-American recipe, but a total hit as a pasta bake in our books;
- trofie alla genovese – most delicious hand rolled pasta that are perfect to hold onto basil pesto;
- malloreddus – one of the easiest (and in my opinion best) pastas to make from scratch and perfect to hold that sauce;
- ricotta ravioli – these are in my books a pasta that I used to have during big family gatherings, and nothing beats the taste of them;
- pumpkin ricotta ravioli – if you love pumpkin, this is the pasta recipe for you!
- pasta alla sorrentina – think comfort in a plate with juicy tomatoes and scamorza cheese;
- rigatoni alla carbonara – a Roman classic and an authentic recipe, so forget anything about cream and bacon!
- scarpariello pasta – simple and with that kick of spice we all need;
- busiate pasta – another one of my favourite shapes with that rustic finish;
- pasta alla cenere – if you love gorgonzola, olives and cream, this is the pasta for you!
Canneloni Bolognese
Ingredients
- 250 g fresh pasta sheets*
- 400 g bechamel
- 500 g mixed minced meat pork + beef
- 500 ml passata
- 1 tbsp tomato concentrate
- 1 l water
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- 1 celery stick
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 80 g parmesan
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 glass of white wine
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion, carrot, and celery.
- In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then add the chopped vegetables and bay leaf.
- Sauté over medium heat until softened and fragrant.
- Add the minced pork and beef to the pan. Cook until browned, breaking it up with a spoon.
- Pour in the white wine and let it evaporate.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the tomato passata, tomato concentrate and 1 liter of water. Bring to a simmer.
- Cook uncovered on low heat for about an hour and a half, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.
- Once ready, remove the bay leaf and let the sauce cool slightly.
- Take about half of the meat sauce and transfer it to a bowl.
- Mix in a few tablespoons of béchamel and 40 g of grated Parmesan. This will be the filling for the cannelloni.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Cut the fresh pasta sheets into rectangles (about 10×15 cm).
- Place a spoonful of filling on each sheet and roll tightly to form cannelloni.
- Spread a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom of a baking dish.
- Arrange the filled cannelloni on top in a single layer.
- Cover with the remaining meat sauce, then pour over the béchamel.
- Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
- Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake another 15–20 minutes until golden and bubbling.
- Let rest for 5 minutes before serving, so the layers set.
- Serve hot with extra Parmesan if desired.
Notes
SHOP THE AUTHENTIC ITALIAN CANNELLONI RECIPE
PIN THE EASY CANNELLONI RECIPE STUFFED WITH BOLOGNESE FOR LATER!
