📋 Baked Beef Cannelloni Recipe
This Baked Beef Cannelloni, made with oven ready pasta, has a unique filling comprised of ground beef, spinach, carrots, fresh basil and no ricotta. The whipping cream and wine make it rich and delicious! It's the perfect, make-ahead, special and company worthy dinner recipe!
Servings 21 servings
Calories 150kcal
Ingredients
- 2 -200g -boxes of oven ready cannelloni pasta (dry pasta) * I use Catelli Express- it's important to use oven ready
Filling
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb extra lean ground beef 2 cups
- 4 whole carrots, grated (2 cups grated)
- 2 stalk chopped celery chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cups fresh spinach washed and chopped
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 5 roma tomatoes chopped
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 2 cloves garlic
Creamy Tomato Sauce
- 2 -28 oz - cans diced tomatoes
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 8 leaves fresh basil
- ½ cup whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9 X 13 inch baking dishes (lasagna dishes) with non-stick cooking spray.
Filling:
- In a large frying pan, over medium-high heat, sautee onions, celery and grated carrots with olive oil until soft.2 tablespoon olive oil, 4 whole carrots, grated, 2 stalk chopped celery, 1 medium onion
- Add spinach and cook for 3 more minutes.3 cups fresh spinach
- Meanwhile, cook ground beef over medium heat, in separate frying pan until browned. Then mix with veggie mixture.1 lb extra lean ground beef
- Place the vegetable and beef mixture in food processor and process until finely chopped/blended. Add whipping cream, white wine, garlic, Roma tomatoes, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and basil and pulse (in food processor) just until combined. * I do ½ a batch at a time.½ cup dry white wine, ¾ cup heavy whipping cream, 5 roma tomatoes, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, 2 cloves garlic
- It will look mushy when mixed. Note: it can be a little bit chunkier, but do not puree it any more , as it needs to go through a pastry bag, but not be too runny.
- Stuff the cannelloni shells with mixture until full, but not overflowing. The best way to do this is to hold the tubes upright (where the bottom is flush against the bottom of a small plate.) Then you can flip it over to ensure it's completely filled from the other side. See VIDEO 🎥2 -200g -boxes of oven ready cannelloni pasta (dry pasta)
- Then gently lay the cannelloni pasta tubes in the prepared 9 x 13 inch baking dish in a single layer (for both pans.)
Creamy Tomato Sauce
- Place diced canned tomatoes with liquids in food processor and add garlic cloves and onion, basil leaves, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, white wine, and whipping cream. * You can also do this in 2 batches2 -28 oz - cans diced tomatoes, 6 cloves garlic, 1 medium onion, 8 leaves fresh basil, ½ cup whipping cream, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup dry white wine, ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Pour creamy tomato sauce mixture over stuffed, uncooked oven ready cannelloni tubes, dividing sauce by both pans.
- Cover pans with aluminum foil and seal around edges (*this is very important) and bake for 50 minutes in preheated oven. Serve warm.
Garnish
- Garnish with additional parmesan cheese and/or fresh basil if desired.
Notes
Expert Recipe Tips:
- Avoid Stuffing Ahead of Time: Do not stuff the cannelloni tubes more than 15–20 minutes before they go into the oven. If they sit too long, the dry shells will absorb moisture from the filling and become soft, causing them to crack or fall apart before they even begin to bake.
- The Best Make-Ahead Strategy:Â If you want to prep this for a busy day, your best bet is to bake the entire dish in advance, let it cool, and refrigerate it. Then, simply reheat the whole dish (covered with foil) until bubbly. This actually allows the flavors to meld even more!
- Partial Prep for Faster Assembly:Â If you don't want to cook it entirely in advance, you can make the beef filling and the creamy tomato sauce up to two days ahead. Store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge, then just stuff the shells and bake whenever you're ready.
- Use the "Pastry Bag" Method:Â Forget trying to stuff these with a spoon! Use a 12-inch piping bag (or a large Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off) without a tip. This method is incredibly efficient and allows you to fill all the tubes in about 10 minutes with zero mess.
- Ensure Full Sauce Coverage:Â When using oven-ready pasta, every single part of the tube must be touching sauce. If any part of the dry pasta is left exposed to the air, it will remain hard and crunchy after baking.
- Master the Foil Seal:Â The foil is what creates the "steam chamber" that cooks the dry pasta. Make sure to crimp the aluminum foil tightly around the edges of your baking dish to prevent any steam from escaping during the 50-minute bake time.
- Manage the "Skimpflation" Water Content:Â Because modern ground beef and canned tomatoes can be "waterier" than they used to be, be diligent about draining the excess fat and liquid from your browned beef and discarding the extra half-cup of tomato liquid. This ensures your final sauce is creamy and rich rather than thin.
- Don't Over-Process the Filling:Â When using the food processor, pulse the beef and veggie mixture until it is finely chopped and "mushy" enough to pipe, but stop before it becomes a complete puree. You still want a little bit of that hearty texture in every bite!
- Let the Dish Rest: Once you take the cannelloni out of the oven, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This allows the sauce to thicken slightly and makes the individual tubes much easier to lift out of the pan without breaking. Storage Store leftover beef cannelloni in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can simply cover it with plastic wrap if you're only storing it overnight. You can also freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. For the best results, bake the dish completely, let it cool, and then freeze it. To reheat, thaw it in the fridge overnight and bake at 350°F (175°C) covered with foil until bubbly and heated through. I don't recommend freezing them stuffed but unbaked, as the pasta shells can become brittle and crack.
Nutrition
Serving: 2pieces | Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 702IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg
