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Family dinners provide an opportunity to gather and refresh the mind while enjoying a meal together around the table. Inspired by Italian cuisine, this hearty Beef Cannelloni recipe is simple, accessible, and utterly mouth-watering — perfect for everyday dinner. Cannelloni pasta is stuffed with ground beef simmered in a rich tomato sauce, then baked in the oven for a perfect golden gratin. There’s enough for leftovers—if you can stop yourself tucking into the remainders!
Table of Contents
Ingredients list for the baked beef cannelloni
Yield: Serves 4
The sauce:
- 2 cans of peeled tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 1 large carrot
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 grilled bell pepper (recipe here)
- 1/3 teaspoon celery powder
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence (thyme, rosemary, oregano…)
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
Filling:
- 16 cannelloni
- 1 1/4 to 1 1/3 pound (550 to 600g) ground beef
- 3/4 cup (150g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Freshly cracked pepper
Directions
The tomato sauce:
1. Coarsely chop the onion and fry in a pan with olive oil.
2. Meanwhile, wash carrot and cut into small cubes, add into the pan with onion.
3. Dice grilled peppers, drain and rinse the capers.
4. Pour the two cans of peeled tomatoes, capers, diced peppers, herbs, celery powder, and sugar into the pan. Add 3-4 tablespoons of water.
5. Simmer over low heat for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the sauce and check for doneness of carrot. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
6. Heat a pan with a little olive oil, and slowly cook the ground beef without searing to prevent it from drying.
7. Add 3/ 4 of the tomato sauce and stir to coat the beef with tomato sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes, then adjust the seasoning. Set aside.
The cannelloni:
1. Preheat your oven to 360°F (180°C).
2. Add a bit of the cooking liquid from the sauce into a baking dish.
3. Stuff the cannelloni with the beef and tomato sauce, you can use the snipped tip of a plastic bag or a pastry bag to pipe the the filling inside the cannelloni. Pack well and place the cannelloni into the dish, spacing them a few millimeters.
4. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the cannelloni.
5. Sprinkle grated parmesan over the dish.
6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Halfway cooking, remove the foil. Bake for 5 minutes more if the cheese is not golden enough.
Baked Beef Cannelloni Recipe
Inspired by Italian cuisine, this hearty beef cannelloni recipe is simple, accessible, and utterly mouth-watering — perfect for everyday dinner.
The Cannelloni sauce:
- 2 cans of peeled tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 1 large carrot
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 grilled bell pepper (recipe here)
- 1/3 teaspoon celery powder
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence (thyme, rosemary, oregano...)
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
Cannelloni Filling:
- 16 cannelloni
- 1 1/4 to 1 1/3 pound (550 to 600g) ground beef
- 3/4 cup (150g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
The tomato sauce:
- Coarsely chop the onion and fry in a pan with olive oil.
- Meanwhile, wash carrot and cut into small cubes, add into the pan with onion.
- Dice grilled peppers, drain and rinse the capers.
- Pour the two cans of peeled tomatoes, capers, diced peppers, herbs, celery powder, and sugar into the pan. Add 3-4 tablespoons of water.
- Simmer over low heat for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the sauce and check for doneness of carrot. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Heat a pan with a little olive oil, and slowly cook the ground beef without searing to prevent it from drying.
- Add 3/ 4 of the tomato sauce and stir to coat the beef with tomato sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes, then adjust the seasoning. Set aside.
The cannelloni:
- Preheat your oven to 360°F (180°C).
- Add a bit of the cooking liquid from the sauce into a baking dish.
- Stuff the cannelloni with the beef and tomato sauce, you can use the snipped tip of a plastic bag or a pastry bag to pipe the the filling inside the cannelloni. Pack well and place the cannelloni into the dish, spacing them a few millimeters.
- Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the cannelloni.
- Sprinkle grated parmesan over the dish.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Halfway cooking, remove the foil. Bake for 5 minutes more if the cheese is not golden enough.
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