Cannelloni are tubes of pasta stuffed with a savoury
filling and baked in a tomato or cheese sauce –
and Italian speciality.
+/- 200 g bought cannelloni
tubes
extra grated Parmesan cheese for topping
Tomato sauce
2 x 400 g cans chopped tomatoes
2 tsp (10 ml) chopped fresh basil or ½ tsp (3 ml) dried
Filling
3 Tbsp (45 ml) olive oil
250 g mince
1
medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
150 g spinach, washed, chopped and well drained or 1 packet frozen spinach
2 tsp (10 ml) chopped fresh origanum or ½ tsp (3 ml) dried
salt and
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cheese sauce
60 g butter
¼ cup (60 ml) cake flour
2 ½ cups (125 ml) grated Parmesan or Cheddar cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- For the tomato sauce, heat a heavy-based saucepan over moderate heat, add the tomatoes and basil, reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from heat and set aside.
- To make the filling, heat half the oil in a medium, heavy-based saucepan and fry the mince until it changes colour and becomes crumbly. Remove the mince from the saucepan and set aside. Add the remaining oil and sauté the onion, garlic and spinach until soft, allowing all the liquid to evaporate. Return the meat to the saucepan, remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly. Add origanum and seasoning, then set aside.
- For the cheese sauce, heat the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, add the flour and whisk for a minute. Whisk in the milk and stir over medium heat until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese and seasoning.
- To assemble, spoon the filling into the cannelloni tubes. Pour half the tomato sauce into a large, ovenproof dish, then arrange all the filled cannelloni on top of the sauce. Pour over the remaining tomato sauce, and then all the cheese sauce. Sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 45 minutes.
Serves 4-6
Variation
Although not truly Italian, substitute cannelloni tubes with 12 pancakes.
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