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Cannelloni with Béchamel
Cannelloni with Béchamel – a saucy and hearty Italian dish. Rolled up fresh pasta, with a succulent and flavourful beef filling, topped with a rich and creamy béchamel sauce, and baked until golden. This cannelloni with white sauce is so good and you must try it!
Cannelloni has to be one of my favourite meals! It’s delicious, it’s simple, and it is just so perfect during cozy season. And let’s talk about leftovers. Phenomenal, and I think it’s even better the day after.
This recipe will walk you through everything you need to know in order to make the most scrumptious meal ever for your family. You will not be disappointed.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- It is packed with flavour, but uses minimal ingredients.
- It is comforting and cozy for fall and winter.
- It is filling enough to be served on its own.
- Who doesn’t love classic Italian food?!
Key Ingredients
Lean ground beef: this is used as the filling for the cannelloni. You can experiment with ground chicken or turkey, but I feel beef works super good.
Carrots/celery/onion/garlic: these vegetables add so much flavour to the beef filling.
Spices: the spices are kept very simple. We are letting the beef, tomatoes, and carrots/celery/onion/garlic do all the work!
Beef broth: adds depth of flavour.
Crushed tomatoes: I prefer using crushed or pureed tomatoes opposed to jarred pasta sauce. I find it tastes 100 times better, as I’m able to control how it tastes.
Fresh pasta sheets: has the loveliest bite to it and is super easy to fill.
Butter + flour: this is called the roux and is the base of the velvety béchamel sauce.
Milk: added to the roux to make the béchamel sauce.
How to Make Cannelloni with Béchamel
Make the beef filling
Start by browning the ground beef over medium-high heat. Then, add the celery, carrots, and onions, and continue mixing until the vegetables become soft and the onions are translucent. Make sure you do not burn the vegetables, because that might give your beef filling a slightly bitter taste. Next, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Add the spices and mix to combine. Add the beef broth, mix, and scrape the bottom if needed. Cook this, stirring continuously, for a minute or two.
Add the crushed tomatoes, mix, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, reduce to a simmer (low), and cook for 1 hour, giving it a stir every now and then.
After it has simmered for 1 hour, taste and adjust for salt. You can also add some sugar if you feel it is too sour. Set aside until ready to use.
Make the béchamel sauce
In a heavy bottom saucepan over medium-low, melt the butter. Add the flour to the melted butter and whisk continuously. After about 1-2 minutes, when you no longer smell raw flour, gradually add the milk in, in about 3 parts. You need to whisk well after each addition to prevent any lumps. This will ensure a smooth, velvety béchamel sauce. See notes below recipe card for more tips.
Once the milk has been incorporated, add the salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Continue to whisk until it has thickened and can coat the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 375F. Cut the fresh pasta sheets in the correct size to roll the cannelloni up. The size should be approximately 4 x 6 inches, but it doesn’t need to be perfect.
Put about 2-3 tbsp of beef filling along the edge of one side of the pasta sheet. Roll the cannelloni over until the seams meet at the bottom. Continue this for the remaining cannelloni. Be sure to keep a bit of the beef filling to pour over the cannelloni at the end.
Place a spoonful of béchamel sauce on the bottom of a baking dish that is big enough to fit the cannelloni.
Place the cannelloni over top the sauce.
Pour the remaining béchamel sauce over all of the cannelloni.
Pour the beef filling that you saved over top and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes. Broil at 550F for the last 5 minutes.
Remove from oven, let rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with your choice of finely chopped herbs, serve, and enjoy!
Tips, Tricks, and Variations
Pasta shells vs. fresh pasta sheets – if you can’t get your hands on pasta sheets, you can use cannelloni shells that are boxed. They will be either oven-ready or not. Stuffing oven-ready shells is pretty easy, but stuffing boiled cannelloni shells can be tricky. You can also look for manicotti pasta shells, which are slightly bigger than cannelloni but will do the trick. If you wanted, you could even make the dough from scratch.
Béchamel sauces continues to thicken as it cools – remove the sauce from the heat when it thickens up and coats the back of a wooden spoon. If you cook it for too long, it will be too thick and will be difficult to spoon or pour.
Cheese – the recipe recommends parmesan or parmigiana Reggiano, but you can use another cheese that you prefer. It will still taste amazing.
Frequently Asked Questions
The basking dish size is not very important. As long as you can fit all the cannelloni in a single layer, you should be good. If you need to use 2 baking dishes, you can do that too! Just divide the leftover béchamel sauce and beef filling between the two dishes.
Cannelloni with béchamel is filling on its own, but can be served with bread, salad, or even roasted vegetables.
If you love this recipe, then you’ll also love: Lasagna Bolognese with Béchamel Sauce, Creamy Tomato Shrimp Pasta, Marry Me Chicken Meatballs, Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Cannelloni with Béchamel
Description
Cannelloni stuffed with beef and smothered in béchamel sauce, then baked to absolute perfection.
Ingredients
Beef Filling
Béchamel Sauce
Assembling
Instructions
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Beef filling: heat skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add olive oil. Add the beef and cook until completely browned, about 5-7 minutes.
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Add the carrots, celery, and onion, and cook until softened, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
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Add salt, black pepper, and oregano, and mix. Add in the beef broth and stir, scraping the bottom if needed. Continue to cook and mix for a couple of minutes.
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Add crushed tomatoes, mix, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 1 hour. Give it a stir every 25 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt, if needed. If the sauce is too sour, add sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until it reaches your preference. Set the sauce aside until ready to use.
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Béchamel sauce: heat a heavy bottom saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the butter and allow to melt. Add the flour and whisk for 1-2 minutes, until you no longer smell raw flour. Add the milk in 3 parts, whisking very well after each addition (this will prevent lumps and make a smooth, silky sauce). Add the salt, white pepper, and nutmeg, and continue to whisk until the mixture is thickened and can coat the back of a wooden spoon. *See notes below for more tips on making this sauce*
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*See notes below for more information about the lasagna sheets or cannelloni shells that you choose to use* Preheat oven to 375F. Place 2-3 tbsp of the beef filling onto the end of the lasagna sheet, then roll it over so that the ends overlap at the bottom and filling is trapped inside. If using shells, simply stuff them with the beef filling. Continue this until most of the beef filling is used up (save some that you can spoon over the top of the cannelloni).
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In a baking dish big enough to hold all the cannelloni, spread a thin layer of béchamel sauce on the bottom. Place the rolled or stuffed cannelloni over the béchamel sauce that you just spread. Pour the remaining béchamel sauce over top of the cannelloni. Then, spoon over the beef filling that you saved in the step above. Sprinkle the grated cheese over.
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Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes. In the last 5 minutes, turn the oven up to broil (550F).
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Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle your favourite finely chopped herb over top and serve.
Note
*In order for the béchamel sauce to be lump-free, whisking continuously is important. That is why it is important to add the milk in in parts, whisking until smooth after each addition.
*To tell if béchamel sauce is ready, test if the sauce can coat the back of a wooden spoon. If it can, swipe your finger down the back of the coated spoon. If the sauce stays separated on the back of the spoon and doesn't come back together, then the sauce is ready. If not, cook a bit longer and recheck.
*If using fresh pasta sheets: depending on how large the sheets are, you will need to cut them to size. The size doesn't need to be perfect, as long as you have the basic size and shape. It should be roughly 4x6 inches.
*If using dried cannelloni shells: follow the directions on the package. You may need to boil them beforehand or they might be oven-ready. (If you need to boil them beforehand, reduce the cooking time 15 minutes; it will also take a bit more effort to stuff boiled shells)
