Cannelloni means “large tubes” in Italian and is actually the familiar pasta made to look like tubes, which is more or less similar to lasagna in the preparation process. Yet, the appearance of this dish and the digging into the juicy meaty filling which is oozing out of the tubes is an absolute delight.
You can fill these tubes in with any of your favourite vegetarian or non-veg stuffing and bake with lots of cheese tossed on the top. In this recipe, I stuffed the tubes with a mixture of lean ground beef and a large assortment of vegetables to make it healthier.
Make this absolutely mouthwatering dish to make your gloomy winter months much cosier and a bit warmer.
What you will need:
| Ground lean beef | 500g |
| Cannelloni tubes | 1 & 1/2 pkt |
| Mayonnaise | 3 tbsp |
| Any pasta sauce (I used Grossman brand) | 1 bottle |
| Tomato Ketchup | 4 tbsp |
| Soy sauce (dark) | 1 tbsp |
| Carrots | 4 large sliced thinly |
| Spinach | 4 handfuls |
| Bell peppers (large) – yellow, red, green | 1 each or more |
| Salt and pepper to taste | |
| Garlic (chopped) | 2 cloves |
| Onion | 2 large chopped |
| Cheddar cheese and Mozzarella cheese ( grated) | 1/2 cup full |
Let’s make it:
Boil
- Boil a big pan of water with 1 tsp of water and 2tbsp of oil. Dip up to 6-7 cannelloni tubes and boil them, constantly separating them and stirring, not letting them stick to each other. Drain the water, run cold water until the tubes are not sticky. Separate the tubes and carefully set aside. Boil the rest.
Cut veggies
- Cut the veggies and place around a plate.
Saute
- In a large wok heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil and sweat the chopped onions. Add chopped garlic
- Add the carrots circles, stir fry. Close the lid briefly so the carrots will soften fast
- Add the bell peppers
- Saute the all veggies
- Sprinkle salt and pepper
Add meat
Push the veggies to a side and add the ground beef. Or opt for another wok to fry the meat
Fry
- Dry fry the beef, breaking up the lumps with a wooden spoon until browned. This process will take about 10 mins. Sprinkle some olive oil if the beef is too dry
Mix
- Bring beef and veggies together .
- Fry for 2 mins
Add Sauce
- Add Loyd Grossman tomato and chilli sauce and give a thorough stir
- Add soy sauce, mayo and ketchup
- Fry for 5 mins
- Toss spinach on top and let them wilt. Do not cover the pot after adding spinach
- Assemble all together and adjust the taste
Cheese on top
- Toss a hand full of grated Cheddar cheese
- Let the pot bubble for a few mins and turn off the flame.
Fill
- Preheat the oven to 180 C.
- Opt for a wide Pyrex dish or a baking dish and pour a little milk onto the bottom.
- Hold the cannelloni tubes gently in one hand and fill the beef mixture and arrange on the baking dish side by side.
- Once the dish is full, top it with lots of grated Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese.
Bake
- Cover the dish with a foil and leave one edge slightly open for steam to escape.
- Bake for 30 – 40 mins in the middle of the oven (lift the foil and check after 30 mins)
- Take out from the oven and let the dish rest for 5 mins.
- Bon appetit!
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