Cannelloni Tubes Filled With Meat - Meaty And Cheesy Cannelloni Tubes

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'll need:

Ingredients      Amounts

• Cannelloni      1pkt
• Minced beef     500g
• Onions             1
• Garlic               4cloves

Sauces

• Pasta sauce      1bottle
• Soy sauce        4tbsp
• Ketchup          2tbsp
• Mayo              2tbsp
• Salt&pepper
• Lots of Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese

Vegetables

Carrots, baby spinach, garlic, mushrooms, onion, and bell peppers in all colours

Let’s make it:

Boil Cannelloni Tubes

• Boil a big pan of water with 1 tsp of water and 2 tbsp 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, and run cold water until the tubes are not sticky

• Separate the tubes and carefully set them aside. Boil the rest

Cut veggies

• Cut the veggies and place them 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, and 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 them 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!