Beef Cannelloni stuffed with a juicy spinach and beef filling, topped with plenty of tomato cannelloni sauce and melty cheese. It’s cosy comfort food that’s mouthwateringly delicious and 100% freezer friendly. Make this recipe using cannelloni OR manicotti!
Beef Cannelloni
I think most people think of spinach & ricotta when they think of cannelloni. And while that’s still a firm favourite, this version with a juicy spinach and beef filling makes more of an appearance in my world nowadays.
I actually make it more for friends than myself – because it’s a sensational freezer friendly standby and a safe bet (ie one of those meals that both kids and grown ups will love!)
This beef cannelloni recipe can be used for either cannelloni or manicotti.
What’s cannelloni? And what’s the difference between cannelloni and manicotti??
Cannelloni is a tube shaped dry pasta that’s stuffed with filling, covered with sauce and cheese than baked. The cannelloni tubes are uncooked when they are stuffed – they cook (soften) while baking.
Manicotti is the Italian-American version of cannelloni. The same concept – pasta in tube form to be stuffed, but they’re usually a bit larger and typically has ridges on it rather than a smooth surface.
This Beef Cannelloni recipe can be used for either cannelloni OR manicotti. In Australia, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen manicotti in Italian grocery stores. But cannelloni is far more popular – sold at all the large grocery stores (Woolies, Coles, Harris).
What you need
The 3 parts to Beef Cannelloni are:
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The Cannelloni Sauce – key to any good cannelloni! Make loads and make it thinner than you think it should be – the uncooked cannelloni tube will suck up a lot of the liquid as it bakes (it needs to, in order to cook the cannelloni pasta);
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The spinach and beef filling – I like to make it extra tasty by using beef cube for seasoning (aka bouillon cube / stock cube – or use powder form) instead of plain old flavoured salt. And extra juicy by adding a bit of the Cannelloni Sauce!
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The cannelloni tubes (above) or manicotti tubes – these are sold uncooked in tube form, to be stuffed with filling then cooked.
How to make Beef Cannelloni
There’s nothing tricky about the making part other than stuffing the cannelloni tubes which is inevitably a bit of a messy / fiddly affair.
But years of cannelloni stuffing have taught me one thing – the fastest and easiest way to stuff cannelloni tubes is using a piping bag. All those times I just couldn’t be bothered to use a piping bag, then I’d regret it 3 tubes in…..
Seriously. Use a piping bag. Or ziplock bag. Anything you can use for piping. You’ll thank me later!
That moment when you pull this bubbling beauty out of the oven….. no telling what it actually is, but you know it’s something delicious!!!
Seriously, cannelloni is as impossible to photograph as lasagna. There’s just no way to make a plate of this saucy cheesy juiciness look elegant. And that’s ok – it’s a delicious mess, and I totally own that!!!
What to serve with Beef Cannelloni
Cannelloni is essentially just another type of pasta. I put it in the same bucket as lasagna. Which means – for a full blown Italian feast, I serve it with:
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Garlic Bread – or even more indulgent, with Cheesy Garlic Bread (or go over-the-top with Crack Bread);
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Garden Salad with Italian Dressing (hit of crisp fresh salad essential!)
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Tiramisu to finish with an Espresso Martini on the side
For a quick midweek meal, I just make a quick salad on the side, like a Rocket Parmesan Salad with Balsamic Dressing. Probably my most made side salad because it’s literally a 2 minute effortless-no-chop salad! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Spinach Beef Cannelloni (Manicotti)
Ingredients
Cannelloni Sauce:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 onion , finely chopped
- 1 carrot , small, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 celery rib , finely chopped (optional)
- 800g / 28oz crushed tomato , canned
- 2 cups (500ml) chicken stock / broth , low sodium (or vegetable)
- 1/2 tsp EACH thyme, oregano, salt, pepper
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes , optional
Spinach Beef Filling:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 onion , finely chopped
- 500g / 1lb beef mince , lean
- 250g / 8oz frozen spinach, chopped , thawed, excess liquid squeezed out (Note 1)
- 1 beef bouillon cube , crumbled (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Cannelloni:
- 21 - 24 cannelloni tubes (220g/7oz) OR 10 Manicotti tubes (Note 3)
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese , freshly grated (or other melting cheese)
- Chopped parsley , garnish (optional)
Instructions
Cannelloni Sauce:
- Heat oil in a large saucepan or pot over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook 2 minutes. Add carrot and celery, cook 5 minutes.
- Add remaining Sauce ingredients then stir. Bring to simmer, lower heat to medium, cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Use a stick blender to blitz until smooth (or cool slightly and use blender or food processor). Set aside.
Spinach Beef Filling:
- Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook 2 minutes.
- Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it all changes from red to brown.
- Stir in spinach, then add crumbled beef cube, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and 1 cup of Cannelloni Sauce. Stir, cook 2 minutes.
- Remove and cool slightly.
Assembly and Baking:
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Transfer Beef Filling into a piping bag with a wide nozzle. Stand cannelloni tubes upright in a container, then pipe filling in. (Or do this step with teaspoon/finger/dinner knife!).
- Spread about 1 1/4 cups Sauce in a 23x33cm / 9x13" dish. Lay the cannelloni on top, then pour over remaining Sauce.
- Sprinkle with cheese, loosely cover with foil.
- Bake 25 minutes, remove foil then bake a further 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly with some golden spots.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley if using then serve!
Recipe Notes:
- 1 standard packet is usually 250g and has 30 tubes, you will only use 21 - 24 tubes.
- Cannelloni is a tube shaped dry pasta 7cm / 3″ long, 2cm / 2/3″ wide. Stuff uncooked, will cook & soften in oven.
- Can also use manicotti - bigger version of cannelloni with ridges. Recipe will fill about 10 manicotti tubes.
- Can also roll filling up in fresh lasagna sheets - whatever size you want them to be!
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Dozer in his Sunday Best at a Melbourne Cup lunch we attended yesterday, the race that stops a nation!!! The chokehold grip was necessary – it was the only way I was going to get a photo of him. Look how unhappy he is!!! 😂
PS Didn’t last for long, he shed the top hat 2 seconds after this photo was taken and his tux mysteriously went missing not long after so he was streaking around naked.
PPS His top hat cost even more than my $2 discount store fascinator! 😂
We’ve made this many times. It’s perfect. We freeze any left over sauce each time and will defrost and combine for an easier cook in the future.
Hi Nagi, I like to use lasagne sheets to make cannelloni, can they be used for this recipe, instead of dried pasta tubes. Thank you!
Made this for the first time tonight. Delish! Did not deviate from the recipe but did not pipe, just stuffed the tubes with my fingers and a butter knife… worked out well. We’re all sold on it 🙂
I made this for 10 serves. The entire table went for 2nds or 3rds…yum!
I have about 1.5 cups of cannelloni sauce left. Ideas what to do with it?
Excellent recipe. Thanks for the comment of using a piping bag. I was a cake decorator, and didn’t think of using a bag.❤️❤️
Have made this multiple times and love this recipe. I’ve made it once where I’ve successfully “piped” the filling and the other times where I’ve massively failed (once the piping bag split and the other time I used the ziploc bag and the filling was so hot my fingers were burning.. absolutely my fault for not waiting till the filling cooled down!) still I persist because it’s absolutely worth the effort. Thanks Nagi! I love the book and have gifted them whenever I get the chance. Birthday? Here you go, Anniversary? Perfect. 10yo birthday party? Here you’ll love this when you grow older. All occasions X
Yum! This was a hit, even with my fussy kids.
Yeah so this was real good….I couldn’t find cannelloni..(Morocco) so I used Lasagne noodles an wrapped them…It worked great….
Melbourne Cup Lunch pic…sweet!!
This is very yummy. 100% fail on the piping tho. I am glad I watched the video. It shows about 1 1/2 cups of sauce is added to the spinach and beef mixture. The written recipe does not mention it anywhere.
I will makes this again and its about 3 servings for us. Have a tall, 23 yo son who has a hollow leg…..
It doesn’t say it in the ingredients list but it does say it in the written recipe. Add it when you add the spinach and Worcestershire
If you don’t watch the video you have no idea to add sauce to the spinach and beef. Its not in written directions. Also, you can tear up fresh spinach very small an sautéed it with the beef before you add sauce. Piping 100% fail.
It does say to add 1 cup of sauce to the spinach and beef though. Step 3.
Another great recipe! Everyone loved it.
Thank you for the delicious, yet easy to follow, recipe! Our picky eaters enjoyed it very much and asked for extras.
Delicious! I filled the cannelloni tubes with a piping bag and it was so easy. I love how Nagi goes the extra mile in her recipe explanations. More than I lot of recipes I read. It really helps in the making.
Cooked this again for a small family lunch yesterday. As usual, it was a hit. Didn’t change a thing. Thank you Nagi for a delicious and easy recipe. Filled the tubes using a teaspoon. It worked a treat. With my husband helping, the tubes were filled in next to no time. 😊
Sensational ! as usual…
What I do, and I’m sure you’re aware of it (makes life a bit easier!), is to use fresh lasagne sheets cut in half, spread the mince on each half and roll up like a tube! Da da! instant cannelloni without the hassle of filling (and missing!) the tube…
You’re hilarious! This recipe looks pretty enticing, going to have to try it!
Amazing! Cooked extra and had it Sunday and Tuesday. Kids loved it, they didn’t even take the spinach out.
Don’t I have to pre cook the tubes before filling? If I don’t you have changed my life! I have ALWAYS precooked the tubes before filling but if I don’t have to it will be a game changer!
No! You don’t have to pre-cook!!
I made this tonight and it was divine ! I used the San Remo brand of cannelloni which has 21 tubes in their box and it was a perfect fit with zero waste of the filling – only had one tablespoon of beef and two tablespoons of sauce leftover which I was able to use back into the tray. I didn’t have Worcestershire on me so subbed a table of soy sauce and I tell you – my dish had some perfect umami to it. This is a winner and something I will have on rotation. Looking forward to making it again. I’ve got an electric oven which didn’t brown my cheese within the 10 minutes uncovered so I just popped it under the grill to brown up. Looking forward to making again!
I gave up using dried cannelloni. I buy fresh lasagne sheets from coles and roll my own cannelloni. Just cut the sheet cross-wise to get approximately the same width of cannelloni. Place filling in a line across the sheet. Roll, and wet the edge with water, overlapping a 1/2 – 1 inch edge which will stick together. Place them in a dish with the joined side down.
But why?? They work perfectly – and are cheaper and faster than fresh! N xx