Cannelloni with minced meat
4 servings
60 minutes
Cannelloni with minced meat is a dish that embodies the coziness of home cooking with a refined European taste. These delicate pasta tubes filled with juicy minced meat enriched with the aroma of fried onions, garlic, and white breadcrumbs are soaked in rich tomato sauce. Their roots lie in Italian tradition but the recipe is interpreted with soul and love for meat. Baked in the oven to a golden crust, cannelloni acquire a delightful texture: tender and sauce-soaked on the outside, juicy and rich on the inside. The final touch is a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan that adds depth to the flavor. This dish is perfect for both family dinners and festive gatherings, filling the home with warmth and the aroma of true gastronomic pleasure.
1
The most important thing is not the cooking method, but the minced meat. My cat won't even eat store-bought minced meat, and he's quite the gobbler. We buy 250 g of beef shoulder and 250 g of pork. If you're a real aesthetic, buy 250 g of lamb; it won't be worse.
- Beef shoulder: 250 g
- Pork shoulder: 250 g
- Mutton: 250 g
2
We chop the onion coarsely and sauté it in a pan until translucent, al dente, as sausage sellers say at gas stations.
- Onion: 1 piece
3
We soak white breadcrumbs in milk. How much breadcrumbs you add to the mince depends on you; the more, the tastier and unhealthier. For example, Lazerson claims that wet breadcrumbs should be 40% of the meat weight. In my opinion, 40% is too much.
- White crackers: to taste
- Milk: 1 glass
4
We pass the meat, soaked and squeezed breadcrumbs, fried onions and garlic through a meat grinder, add a teaspoon of soda mixed with vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and thoroughly knead the minced meat. I haven't added eggs to the minced meat for many years. In my opinion, they make the dish a vivid representative of English cuisine – you can bite into horseradish.
- Garlic: 2 cloves
- Slaked soda: 1 teaspoon
- Coarse salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
5
Place the minced meat in a hot skillet, add a 400-gram can of chopped Italian tomatoes, mix, and fry on high heat for 7-10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 'below medium', cover (loosely) and cook until semi-done for another 10 minutes.
- Pelati tomatoes: 400 g
6
In boiling salted water, add the cannelloni and cook for 5 minutes until al dente.
- Cannelloni pasta: 18 pieces
7
We cool the minced meat and stuff the cannelloni.
8
We prepare a quick basic sauce. It can be white, like béchamel, but I prefer red based on tomato passata. We place the cannelloni in a baking dish and pour the sauce over it.
9
Place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
10
Once ready, sprinkle grated parmesan on top. Enjoy your meal!
- Grated Parmesan cheese: 50 g