Cannelloni with meat, ricotta, and mushrooms is a flavorful first course, perfect for special occasions like holidays or as a Sunday dinner to enjoy with the family.
They’re really easy to make. In this recipe, I used fresh puff pastry—the kind you can find ready-made at the supermarket. So the only things you need to prepare are the filling and the tomato sauce, and in no time at all, the dish is ready to go in the oven and be served.
A delicious and flavorful first course—the ricotta, meat, and mushroom filling makes these cannelloni truly special. If you’d like a vegetarian version, simply omit the meat, cook the mushrooms on their own, and then mix them into the ricotta.
They’re delicious this way, too… try them and see for yourself!
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Cannelloni with meat, ricotta, and mushrooms—a flavorful first course that’s perfect for special occasions or to enjoy as a Sunday meal with the family.
Ingredients for the cannelloni
For the tomato sauce
Tools
What you’ll need
Steps
Let’s make ricotta cannelloni
Start with the filling: slice the onion, peel the carrot, and cut it into small pieces. Place the vegetables in a skillet with oil and sauté them with a splash of water.
Add the ground veal and cook until the meat is fully browned. Add the mushrooms, stir, deglaze with the wine, season with salt and pepper, and cook, covered, for 15 minutes.
Pour the ricotta into a bowl, add the meat and the cooled mushrooms, then mix in the egg, nutmeg, and grated cheese. Sprinkle with a little pepper and season with salt to taste. Mix everything well, cover, and let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
Let’s make the tomato sauce
Place the thinly sliced onion in a pot and sauté it in a splash of oil. Add the tomato puree along with a few fresh basil leaves, season with salt, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally; if the sauce reduces too much, add a little water.
Let’s prepare the cannelloni
Par-boil the fresh pasta sheets in lightly salted boiling water, drain them one sheet at a time, and place the prepared filling along the longest edge of each sheet. Roll them up to form the cannelloni; repeat this process with all the sheets. Once ready, let them rest on a sheet of parchment paper for 10 minutes.
Assemble and bake the cannelloni
Spread a little tomato sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Depending on the size of the dish, cut the cannelloni in half or leave them whole. Arrange them in a single layer, being careful not to pack them too tightly.
Cover the cannelloni with plenty of tomato sauce, then spread the béchamel sauce on top. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake at 200° for 25 minutes; turn on the broil setting to brown the top.
Let the cannelloni rest for a few seconds before serving, then bring them to the table and enjoy them in all their simple, delicious goodness. Bon appétit
Varied doses for servings