Our Homemade Italian Cannelloni Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does cannelloni mean in Italian? ›

Cannelloni (Italian: [kannelˈloːni]; English: "large reeds") are a cylindrical type of egg-based stuffed pasta generally served baked with a filling and covered by a sauce in Italian cuisine. Popular stuffings include spinach and ricotta or minced beef.

Cannelloni—not to be confused with the Italian tubular dessert cannoli—is a type of lasagna noodle; the term "manicotti" can refer to the same pasta or the baked dish. Dried cannelloni and manicotti tubes are sold both plain and ribbed.

If you can't get hold of cannelloni tubes, use fresh lasagne sheets instead. Fill each lasagne sheet with about 2 tablespoons of mixture and roll into tubes. Arrange the tubes in the dish, seam side down, then continue with the recipe as written.

Cannelloni is a tube shaped dry pasta about 7 cm / 3″ long and 2cm / 2/3″ wide. It is stuffed with filling, covered in a sauce and cheese then baked. It does not need to be cooked before filling, it softens when baked in the oven.

Manicotti, often filled with ricotta and baked in tomato sauce, are large pasta tubes popular in Italian-American cuisine. Conversely, Cannelloni are Italian rolled pasta sheets with varied fillings like meat or cheese, typically baked with butter and cheese.

Manicotti is the Italian-American version of Cannelloni. Both are pasta tubes, but the difference between the two is fairly minimal: Manicotti tubes are ridged, larger and slightly thicker. Cannelloni tubes are smooth, a touch smaller and slightly thinner.

Cannelloni is in the same pasta family to lasagne, and is usually paired with the same ingredients. The only difference is that with cannelloni, the sheets are rolled around the filling, rather than layered up with it. This looks very different upon serving, and makes for a real difference in texture.

Today in the United States most cookbooks, and even some restaurants, use the terms “cannelloni” and “manicotti” interchangeably.

Manicotti: Large tubes, similar to cannelloni but with ridges. This shape originated in Italian American cuisine and is also baked after stuffing.

Cannoli is traditionally made with ricotta, but some people prefer mascarpone. It simply depends on your personal preference.

Can I use lasagne sheets instead of cannelloni tubes? ›

Step 6. The secret to making fast and mess free cannelloni is to use fresh lasagne sheets, not dried cannelloni tubes. Simply cut lasagna sheets in half and place 1-2 tbs of the filling along one long edge.

Cannelloni are made from the same ingredients as other lasagne sheets and pasta, and therefore have the same texture and flavour. The only difference is how they're cooked. In cannelloni, the filling is stuffed inside the pasta tubes before being baked in a tomato passata and sprinkled with cheese.

Our Chef's tip. There is no need to pre-cook your cannelloni.

Use a pastry bag or a plastic bag to fill pasta

Using a spoon, dip and drop scoops of the filling into the bag. Once the bag is full enough (but not too full!), twist it closed and snip the tip of the bag off so you can pipe your filing into the pasta.

How to Fill Shells Without Breaking Them. I recommend using a long narrow spoon to stuff the manicotti to prevent breaks. If you can, use a pastry bag fitted with a large tip to easily pipe the filling. A gallon resealable plastic bag with a small portion of the edge cut off also works well.

(I find it easier to use pastry bags filled with the meat mixture to stuff the shells or you can cut the end of a sandwich baggie and stuff them that way. Less messy and much faster.).

Use your cake frosting tool to stuff manicotti and stuff shells easily and mess free!