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Three cannelloni pasta filled with beef and cheese next to a salad.
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Cheese and Beef Cannelloni

Tender cannelloni tubes stuffed with a savory beef and cheese filling, baked with red sauce and creamy béchamel, then topped with bubbling mozzarella and Parmesan. Hearty, comforting, and full of bold, classic flavor.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American/Italian, Italian
Keyword: cheese and beef cannelloni, stuffed pasta tubes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

For the Pasta

  • 12 dry cannelloni tubes

For the Filling

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 15 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese reserve ½ cup for the top
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup chopped fresh basil
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional

For the Red Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Béchamel Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 ¼ cups whole milk warmed
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the Cannelloni Tubes

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cannelloni tubes and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until just pliable but still very al dente.
    A pot of boiling water with pasta.
  • Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Lay them out on a clean kitchen towel or lightly oiled baking sheet to prevent sticking.

Make the Filling

  • Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
    Sauteeing onions in a skillet.
  • Add ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break it into very small pieces (large chunks won’t pipe well and can clog the cannelloni tubes). Set aside to cool slightly.
    Browning ground beef in a white skillet.
  • In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes.
    Combining cheese with herbs and eggs in a bowl.
  • Stir the ground beef into the cheese mixture and set aside.

Make the Red Sauce

  • Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
    Sauteeing onions in a pot.
  • Stir in crushed tomatoes, salt, sugar, basil, and pepper. Simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning as needed. If you want a smoother texture, use an immersion blender to puree the sauce directly in the pot.
    Simmering tomatoes in a pot and blending with a immersion blender.

Make the Béchamel

  • In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
    Melting butter in a large skillet.
  • Whisk in the flour and cook for 1–2 minutes.
    Stirring flour into the hot butter in a skillet.
  • Slowly whisk in the warm milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens, about 5–7 minutes.
    Adding milk to the roux mixture.
  • Stir in nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
    Grating nutmeg into the bechemel sauce.

Assemble the Dish

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread a thin layer of red sauce on the bottom of a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
    Spreading marinara sauce in a baking dish.
  • Fill each cannelloni tube with the beef and cheese mixture (a piping bag or zip-top bag with the tip cut off works well).
    Piping a beef and cheese mixture into a cannelloni pasta tube.
  • Arrange the filled tubes in the baking dish. Spoon red sauce generously over the top.
    Spreading marinara sauce on top of filled canneloni pasta.
  • Drizzle the béchamel over the red sauce, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
    Adding bechemel sauce to the top of the cannelloni.

Bake

  • Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15–20 minutes, until bubbly and lightly golden.
  • Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Make ahead: Assemble the dish up to a day in advance, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Bake straight from the fridge, adding 5–10 minutes to the covered bake time.
Freeze for later: Freeze assembled (unbaked) cannelloni tightly wrapped for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
Shortcut options: Swap the homemade red sauce with 3 cups of good jarred marinara, and use a jarred white sauce in place of the béchamel to save time.
Piping tip: A piping bag or large zip-top bag with the corner snipped makes filling the tubes much easier.
Prevent sticking: After boiling, lay cannelloni tubes on a clean towel or lightly oiled baking sheet to keep them from sticking together.
Using manicotti pasta instead? They’re slightly larger than cannelloni, so you may only fill about 8 to 10 tubes with the same amount of filling.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 776kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 187mg | Sodium: 1416mg | Potassium: 560mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1175IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 610mg | Iron: 3mg
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