Juicy Cannelloni with Minced Meat & Vegetables (No Béchamel)

Juicy Cannelloni with Minced Meat & Vegetables (No Béchamel)

Servings: 6 | Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

For the cannelloni & baking dish:

1 pack Cannelloni pasta (250g / approx. 24 pieces)

350g mixed yellow cheeses that melt easily (e.g., Gouda, Mozzarella, Traditional Greek Kasseri, or Graviera), shredded

For the minced meat & vegetable filling:

500g minced beef

3 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, bruised

1 carrot, grated on the coarse side of the grater

200g fresh mushrooms, finely chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/4 cup cognac or white wine

1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes (or grated tomato)

1 cinnamon stick & 1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the easy, light tomato sauce (replacing the béchamel):

2 packs (2x400g) tomato purée (or tomato juice)

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup water (or vegetable stock)

1 pinch of sugar

Salt and pepper

Instructions

Step 1: The Filling (Minced Meat & Veggies)
Heat the olive oil in a deep pot over high heat. Brown the minced beef for 5-6 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it completely changes color.

Add the chopped onion, garlic, grated carrot, and mushrooms. Sauté for another 5 minutes until the vegetables soften and release their aromas.

Add the tomato paste and rub it against the bottom of the pot for 1 minute to release its full flavor.

Pour in the cognac or wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate completely.

Add the canned chopped tomatoes, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20-25 minutes, until most of the liquids are absorbed (the mixture needs to be relatively dry so it's easy to stuff the pasta).

Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Let it cool slightly, then stir in one cup of the shredded cheese, mixing well.

Step 2: The Quick Tomato Sauce

In a bowl, mix the tomato purée, olive oil, water, sugar, salt, and pepper. Do not cook it; it will bake beautifully in the oven alongside the pasta!

Step 3: Assembly

Take a large baking dish or Pyrex. Spread 3-4 tablespoons of the uncooked tomato sauce over the bottom.

Take the cannelloni tubes raw (do not boil them). Using a small spoon, your fingers, or a piping bag without a nozzle, fill each tube with the minced meat mixture.

Arrange the stuffed cannelloni tightly in the baking dish in a single layer.

Pour the remaining tomato sauce evenly over all the cannelloni. The sauce must be loose and almost completely submerge the cannelloni so they cook through properly. If it looks a bit dry, add a splash of warm water around the corners of the dish.

Step 4: Baking

Generously sprinkle the remaining shredded yellow cheeses all over the top.

Cover the baking dish very tightly with baking parchment paper and then with aluminum foil on top (to trap the steam and soften the pasta).

Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (390°F) using conventional top/bottom heat (or 180°C/350°F fan-assisted) for 30 minutes.

Remove both the parchment paper and aluminum foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the cheese melts completely, turns golden-brown, and forms a beautiful crust!