Cannelloni with Spinach and Ricotta
Cannelloni are big pasta tubes filled with a creamy mix of ricotta and spinach, set on tomato sauce, covered with a smooth white sauce and baked until golden and bubbling. This cannelloni recipe is the classic Italian way: tomato sauce underneath, besciamella (béchamel) on top, and a stripe of red down the middle. It feeds six, and you can build the whole pan a day ahead or freeze it.
The name means big reeds or big tubes, which is just what they look like. They taste a lot like lasagna, but each person gets neat little rolls instead of a slab. The creamy white sauce is what makes them feel special, and it only takes about 10 minutes to make.
Cannelloni at a Glance
- Serves: 6 (about 14 cannelloni)
- Hands-on time: about 35 minutes
- Bake: 375°F, 30 minutes covered, then 15 to 20 minutes uncovered
- Rest: 10 minutes
- Pan: a 9 by 13 inch baking dish
- Make ahead: up to 24 hours in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer
Cannelloni Ingredients and Why They Matter
- Cannelloni tubes. Most boxes hold 12 to 16 tubes. Many say oven ready or no boil, and you can fill those dry. If yours do not, boil them for 4 minutes first. Not sure what you are looking at in the store? Our pasta shapes guide shows the tube shapes side by side.
- Whole milk ricotta. It gives a soft, creamy filling. Part-skim works but turns a bit grainy. If your ricotta looks wet, drain it in a sieve for 15 minutes. You can also use this homemade ricotta.
- Frozen chopped spinach. It is easy and cheap. Squeeze it in a clean towel until no more water drips. Wet spinach is the number one cause of runny cannelloni.
- Parmigiano Reggiano. Half a cup goes in the filling for a salty, nutty taste, and a little more goes on top so it browns.
- One egg and a little nutmeg. The egg helps the filling set so it stays in the tubes. Nutmeg is the classic match for ricotta, spinach and white sauce. You will not taste it on its own, but you will miss it if it is gone.
- Butter, flour and whole milk. That is all the white sauce needs. It keeps the pasta moist, cooks the dry tubes and gives the top its golden spots.
- Crushed tomatoes. The tomato sauce is just olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, salt and basil, simmered for 15 minutes.
How to Make Cannelloni
Here is the order of work, so nothing sits around waiting. The full recipe card with amounts is below.
- Start the tomato sauce. Warm sliced garlic in olive oil until pale gold, add the tomatoes and let them simmer.
- Mix the filling. Stir the ricotta, squeezed spinach, Parmigiano and seasoning in a bowl. Taste it, then add the egg.
- Make the white sauce. Cook butter and flour for a minute, then whisk in warm milk a little at a time until it is smooth and thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Fill the tubes. Pipe the filling into each tube from both ends.
- Build the pan. Tomato sauce on the bottom, filled tubes in one layer, white sauce over the top, then a stripe of tomato sauce and a little cheese.
- Bake. Cover with foil for the first 30 minutes so the pasta steams and softens. Uncover so the top browns.
How to Fill Cannelloni Without Breaking Them
Filling the tubes is the only fussy part, and a plastic bag makes it easy. Spoon the filling into a zip-top bag, push it to one corner and snip off about 3/4 inch. Slide the tip into one end of a tube and squeeze until the filling reaches the middle. Then turn the tube and fill it from the other end. Each tube takes about 1/4 cup.
A small spoon or the handle of a teaspoon also works. Just go slowly, because dry tubes can crack if you force them. A cracked tube is fine. Lay it crack side down in the sauce and nobody will know.
Cannelloni vs Manicotti
They are close cousins. In Italy, cannelloni can be dry tubes or fresh pasta sheets rolled around the filling. In the United States, the boxed tubes are often sold as manicotti, and they usually have ridges. Cannelloni tubes are often smooth. You can use either one in this recipe.
The bigger difference is the sauce. Italian American manicotti usually bakes in tomato sauce with lots of mozzarella. Classic cannelloni use a creamy white sauce on top, often with some tomato too. If you like baked pasta with a ricotta filling, try our stuffed shells next.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
- Hard, crunchy pasta ends. The tubes were not fully covered. Make sure the white sauce reaches the ends of every tube, and keep the foil on tight for the first 30 minutes.
- Runny filling. The spinach or ricotta was wet. Squeeze the spinach hard and drain wet ricotta first.
- Lumpy white sauce. The milk went in too fast. Add it a splash at a time and whisk well. Warm milk mixes in more smoothly than cold.
- Bland filling. Ricotta needs salt. Taste the filling before you add the egg and adjust.
- Messy slices. You served it right out of the oven. Let the pan rest for 10 minutes so the sauces thicken and the filling sets.
Easy Variations
- Meat cannelloni. Fill the tubes with about 3 cups of thick, cooled meat sauce mixed with 1/2 cup ricotta. Our ragù alla bolognese is a great choice.
- Fresh pasta sheets. Cut fresh lasagna sheets into rectangles about 4 by 6 inches. Spread filling along one short side, roll them up and lay them seam side down. They need no boiling.
- Mushroom. Cook 8 ounces of chopped mushrooms in a little olive oil until all the liquid is gone. Cool and stir them into the filling.
- All white. Skip the tomato sauce and use a double batch of white sauce. It is rich, so serve smaller portions.
- Cheesier top. Add 1 cup of shredded low-moisture mozzarella over the white sauce before baking.
Love this filling? It is the same idea as our ricotta and spinach ravioli, just baked instead of boiled.
What to Serve with Cannelloni
Cannelloni are rich and creamy, so serve something fresh next to them. A green salad with lemon and olive oil is perfect. Roasted vegetables or green beans also work. For a big Sunday meal, serve a small portion as a first course and follow it with a simple roast.
How to Make Ahead, Freeze and Reheat Cannelloni
Make ahead. Assemble the whole pan, let it cool, cover it tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake it covered for 40 minutes, then uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes. Cold from the fridge, it needs the extra time.
Freeze before baking. Build the pan in a freezer-safe dish, wrap it in plastic and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, covered, at 375°F for about 1 hour 15 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until it is hot in the center.
Leftovers. Baked cannelloni keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat them covered in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, or warm one portion in the microwave with a spoon of sauce on top.
Cannelloni Recipe
Cannelloni with Spinach and Ricotta
Ingredients
Tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 to 5 fresh basil leaves torn
Filling
- 10 oz frozen chopped spinach thawed
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta drained if wet
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 large egg
White sauce (besciamella)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk warmed
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
To assemble
- 14 dried cannelloni tubes about 8 oz; manicotti tubes also work
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano for the top
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F.
- Make the tomato sauce: Put the olive oil and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the garlic is pale gold. Add the crushed tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring now and then. Stir in the basil. You should have about 3 cups.
- Make the filling: Squeeze the spinach in a clean kitchen towel until no more water drips. In a bowl, mix the spinach, ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmigiano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Taste and adjust the salt, then stir in the egg.
- Make the white sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the warm milk, a splash at a time. Cook, whisking, 5 to 7 minutes, until it is smooth and thick enough to coat a spoon. Take it off the heat and stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pinch of nutmeg.
- Fill the tubes: If your box does not say oven ready or no boil, boil the tubes for 4 minutes, rinse in cool water and drain. Spoon the filling into a zip-top bag and snip off about 3/4 inch from one corner. Pipe the filling into each tube from both ends, about 1/4 cup per tube.
- Assemble: Spread 2 cups of the tomato sauce in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Lay the filled tubes on top in a single layer. Pour the white sauce over them so every tube is covered to the ends. Spoon the last 1 cup of tomato sauce in a band down the middle and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmigiano.
- Bake: Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until bubbling, golden in spots and a knife slides easily through the pasta.
- Let the cannelloni rest 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Cannelloni FAQs
They are both large stuffed pasta tubes and you can swap them. Cannelloni is the Italian name. The tubes are often smooth, or the dish is made from fresh sheets rolled around the filling. Manicotti is the name used in the United States, and the tubes usually have ridges.
Not if the box says oven ready or no boil. Fill them dry and make sure the sauce covers them completely. If the box does not say that, boil the tubes for 4 minutes, rinse them in cool water and then fill them.
Put the filling in a zip-top bag, snip off one corner and pipe it into each tube from both ends. Each tube takes about 1/4 cup.
Yes. Assemble the pan, cover it and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bake it covered for 40 minutes, then uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.
Yes. They freeze best before baking. Wrap the pan well and freeze up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, covered, at 375°F for about 1 hour 15 minutes, then uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.
Yes. Cut fresh lasagna sheets into rectangles about 4 by 6 inches, roll them around the filling and lay them seam side down. Dry lasagna sheets need to be boiled until bendable first.
