How to make beef stuffed cannelloni in a casserole

Unlike lasagna or spaghetti, many people choose to leave their cannelloni needs to restaurants and take-out because it just looks too complicated to make on their own. And at first glance, it does seem like quite a process. But, help yourself out by buying pasta that doesn't need to be precooked, and you'll be amazed at just how easy it is to make your own cannelloni at home!
Once you've got the pasta figured out, you can stuff it with whatever you want. Ground beef (as below) is a popular option, but you can also do a ricotta cannelloni with cooked spinach, or even sausage cannelloni stuffed with spicy Italian sausage. Make it once, and you'll find yourself making it all the time!

Beef Cannelloni

25 minutes

45 minutes

1 hour, 10 minutes

20 dry cannelloni pasta shells

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound (450 grams) ground beef

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cups (250 ml) baby spinach, chopped

1 tablespoon (15 ml) dried oregano

1 tablespoon (15 ml) dried basil

1/4 cup (60 ml) butter

1/4 cup (60 ml) all-purpose flour

3 cups (750 ml) milk

1 cup (250 ml) Parmesan cheese, plus 1/2 cup (125 ml)

Salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

1 14-ounce can tomato sauce

3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Start by preparing the filling. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ground beef and cook for about 10 minutes, until onions are soft and beef is no longer pink. Add spinach and stir. Season with oregano, basil, salt and pepper, cook until spinach is wilted, and remove from heat.

While beef is cooking, start the bechamel sauce by melting butter in a medium-sized saucepan. When melted add flour and whisk to fully incorporate. Cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add milk a little at a time, especially at first.Lower heat and cook for about 10 minutes, until milk has thickened slightly. Remove from heat and whisk in 1 cup (250 ml) of the Parmesan cheese.

To assemble, pour a thin layer of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9" x 13" casserole dish, using no more than half the can. Start filling the pasta with the ground beef filling. The easiest way is to hold one cannelloni straight up, holding one hand flat across the bottom to block the opening. Gently add small amounts beef to the cannelloni, pushing it down to pack them as tightly as possible. When one cannelloni is packed, place into the casserole dish and repeat with remaining cannelloni.

When all cannelloni has been filled and are in the casserole dish, spread bechamel sauce completely over cannelloni to cover. Down the center, spread remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup (125 ml) of Parmesan cheese over top.

Cover dish with foil and place in the preheated oven to bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cannelloni is tender. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until Parmesan cheese is melted and bubbling.

After removing from oven, sprinkle with fresh parsley and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.