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Home » Recipes » Homemade Pasta Recipes

Published: Apr 21, 2022 by Jacqui

Homemade Cannelloni from Abruzzo


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Cannelloni all'abruzzese 2 ways.

Baked cannelloni has long been a popular pasta dish both here in Italy and abroad. Italians like to serve it on Sundays or holidays. Of course, there are a number of cannelloni recipes originating in different parts of the country. This homemade cannelloni all’abruzzese recipe comes from Abruzzo in Central Italy. There, they typically cook and serve it 2 ways, with or without a tomato sauce. Both ways are seriously delicious and definitely worth trying!

Homemade Cannelloni from Abruzzo (cannelloni all’abruzzese)

The difference between cannelloni and manicotti.

Here in Italy, we can’t find large, ridged pasta tubes called manicotti. It seems that this type of pasta and the name is Italian-American. Instead, the largest pasta tubes on the Italian market are cannelloni. We can buy them dried, but they are usually smooth not ridged.

Homemade Cannelloni from Abruzzo (cannelloni all’abruzzese)

Of course, you can use dried cannelloni or manicotti for most baked cannelloni recipes including this one from Abruzzo. But, many Italian cannelloni recipes actually call for homemade or ready-made fresh pasta sheets which are then rolled around the filling. This is how the first cannelloni tubes were made and is still a traditional way to make them today.

ingredients for homemade cannelloni from Abruzzo on wooden worktop
Step 1 Gather your ingredients.

Some cannelloni history.

Like other types of pasta, there are different views among Italian pasta makers and food historians about the origins of cannelloni (rolled up sheets of pasta that are served baked and stuffed). According to some, the first stuffed pasta tubes resembling cannelloni date back to the 18th century.

Italian soft wheat flour and fine corn flour in white bowl
Step 2 Sift the wheat and corn flour into a bowl.

Apparently, the 18th century Neapolitan chef and cookbook author Vincenzo Corrado made a ‘pacchero’ filled with ground meat and truffles, and cooked in tomato sauce that many consider the prototype of homemade cannelloni and later dried cannelloni or manicotti!

mixed wheat flour and corn flour in white bowl with water added
Step 3 Combine the 2 types of flour and add tepid water and a pinch of salt.

Corrado was the 18th century equivalent to today’s celebrity chefs. He was famous for producing sumptuous and elegant banquets at the court in Naples and in 1773 published a cookbook called ‘Il Cuoco Galante’ (the Gallant Cook) which was defined at the time as a book of haute cuisine.

a ball of pasta dough in a white bowl.
Step 4 Use your hands to incorporate the water into the flour until you have a rough 'dough' ball.

However, there is also a popular belief that homemade cannelloni tubes were invented by a chef in Campania called Salvatore Coletta in 1924.  You can read more about the history of this pasta in my cannelloni and manicotti post.

ball of ready cannelloni pasta dough on wooden pastry board.
Step 5 Turn the dough out onto a pastry board and knead until smooth, firm and elastic. Then let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Cannelloni is a 'modern' pasta type.

Whatever the real origins of cannelloni, I find it interesting that these giant pasta tubes are a ‘modern’ culinary invention. Italians have been baking sheets of flour and water pasta since the times of Ancient Rome. Plus, they have been stuffing fresh egg pasta shapes like tortellini for centuries.

But, the concept of rolling pasta sheets into tubes stuffed with a filling is a relatively new idea in comparison. In fact, cannelloni only really became a popular pasta type after World War II.

ingredients for cannelloni filling on wood worktop
Step 6 Prepare the ingredients for the filling.

Other baked cannelloni recipes.

Today, you can find quite a few regional versions of baked cannelloni, especially in Central Italy. Italians make many types of cannelloni fillings including different combinations of ground meat or fish or cheese with various greens or herbs. 

Cannelloni filling ingredients in white bowl
Step 7 Put all the filling ingredients into a bowl and mix together.

The two most well-known cannelloni recipes are firstly, pasta tubes stuffed with spinach and ricotta and baked in a tomato or béchamel sauce. And, secondly, cannelloni filled with Bolognese and baked in a tomato and/or béchamel.

uncooked cannelloni filling in skillet
Step 8 Cook the cannelloni filling with butter and olive oil in a frying pan or skillet.

However, many less well-known recipes are equally delicious. On my to-publish list are cannelloni alla Sorrentina which has ricotta in the meat sauce and is similar to this recipe for giant caccavelle pasta shells alla Sorrentina.

Cooked cannelloni filling in skillet
Step 9 Once the meat is browned, set the filling aside to cool.

I also want to make cannelloni alla Napoletana with mozzarella, anchovies and tomatoes; alla Romagnola filled with pork, beef, sausage and prosciutto and Sicilian crusetti. The latter are small cannelloni with a filling based on zucchini!

pasta sheet folded in 3 on white board
pasta sheet folded in 3 inserted into top of pasta machine
pasta sheet passing through pasta machine rollers
ready rolled pasta dough sheet on pastry board.
Step 10. Use your pasta machine to roll pieces of the dough out into pasta sheets (see recipe notes for instructions).

This homemade cannelloni from Abruzzo.

For now, let’s talk about this cannelloni all’abruzzese. As I mentioned above, you can cook this filled pasta recipe 2 ways. The filling is the same for both. The most traditional method is to bake the filled pasta tubes in just butter and a sprinkling of cinnamon. This method requires parboiling/blanching the pasta sheets or tubes before filling them.

fresh pasta dough squares on white tray  and pasta sheet on wood pastry board
Step 11 Cut the ready pasta sheets into squares and lay them on a flour dusted surface

The second method involves baking the filled cannelloni in a simple tomato sauce with a sprinkling of parmigiano on top. Whether you are using dried or fresh pasta this way, it doesn’t need parboiling. Just make the sauce a little liquid and the pasta will cook in the sauce.  

parboiled cannelloni pasta squares on red tea towel
cannelloni filling on parboiled pasta sheet
parboiled pasta sheet being rolled around cannelloni filling.
Step 12 parboil the pasta sheets, lay them on a tea towel, place filling in the middle and roll the pasta around the filling.

How to make fresh cannelloni sheets.

Many Italian cannelloni recipes make use of egg pasta sheets the same as those we use in a lasagna. Normally, lasagne pasta dough contains 1 large egg for every 100g of flour and the flour is Italian ‘00’ soft wheat flour. If you want to make cannelloni all’abruzzese with egg pasta, check out the recipe on my homemade lasagne sheets post.

ready to cook homemade cannelloni in oven dish with bowl of egg yolk
Step 13 Place the rolled cannelloni in a greased oven dish and brush with egg yolk.

Traditionally the pasta dough for these homemade cannelloni from Abruzzo is made with a mixture of ‘00’ soft wheat flour and corn flour with water and a pinch of salt. So, there are no eggs. This is how I made it.

Once the dough had rested, I rolled the sheets out using my pasta machine and then cut the sheets into squares. Traditional cannelloni is made with square sheets not rectangular like lasagne.

uncooked homemade cannelloni sprinkled with cinnamon in oven dish
Step 14 Sprinkle cinnamon over the cannelloni and put pieces of butter on top.

The filling for cannelloni all’abruzzese.

The filling in this cannelloni recipe contains a mixture of 3 types of ground meat; pork, beef, and lamb. You can you use only two types instead. Apart from the meat, the filling has pecorino, eggs, nutmeg, and salt.

I followed a recipe that says to mix the filling ingredients together before cooking it in a little olive oil and butter. However, some recipes say to brown the meat first and then mix in the eggs, cheese, nutmeg, and salt when it's cooled a little.

Homemade Cannelloni from Abruzzo (cannelloni all’abruzzese)
Step 15 Bake your homemade cannelloni until the top is slightly browned and crispy.

Two ways to make and bake these homemade cannelloni.

First method - Baked with butter and cinnamon the traditional way.

This traditional method for making homemade cannelloni from Abruzzo isn’t difficult but takes a little time especially as you are using homemade pasta sheets and parboiling them.

Homemade Cannelloni from Abruzzo (cannelloni all’abruzzese)

Once you have made the dough and cut it into squares, blanch the sheets in boiling water to which you have added a dash of olive oil. The olive oil stops the pasta from sticking together. Blanch the sheets 2-3 at a time and then remove them carefully from the water and place them spread out on to a tea towel.

fresh pasta sheet being rolled around filling and brushed with egg yolk
If baking homemade cannelloni in tomato sauce, roll the fresh pasta sheets around the filling and brush one end with egg to seal.

The next step is to place some filling along the middle of each sheet and then roll the pasta around the filling. Place the cannelloni seam side down into a buttered oven dish. Brush them with egg yolk and then sprinkle with cinnamon and add some small bits of butter on top. Bake your cannelloni all’abruzzese in a preheated oven at 160°c for about 20 minutes until they are slightly golden and crispy on top.

uncooked homemade cannelloni in oven dish on top of tomato sauce.
Place the cannelloni in an oven dish with a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom

Second method- Baked in tomato sauce.

You don’t need to parboil the pasta sheets to make your homemade cannelloni this way. Just place some filling on each pasta sheet. Brush one end with egg yolk and roll the pasta tightly around the filling. Place the cannelloni seam side down in an oven dish in which you have first spread some tomato sauce in the bottom.

homemade cannelloni with tomato sauce ready to go in oven
Cover with more tomato sauce, parmigiano and pieces of fresh basil.

Cover the cannelloni with more tomato sauce, a sprinkling of parmigiano and some basil and bake in the oven at 175 °c for about 25 minutes. Check the pasta is cooked before switching off the oven. You can do this by piercing a cannelloni with a fork to gauge the softness of the pasta.

homemade cannelloni from Abruzzo baked in tomato sauce
Bake until the top is browned and the pasta cooked.

Let me know what you think.

I cooked my homemade cannelloni from Abruzzo both ways, so, some with cinnamon and butter and some in tomato sauce. We loved them both. The traditional method without tomato sauce is quite unique and the butter and cinnamon give the pasta a wonderful flavour. However, the cannelloni baked in tomato sauce were just as delicious. If, like me, you try both ways, I’d love to hear which you prefer!

Homemade Cannelloni from Abruzzo (cannelloni all’abruzzese)

Even if you try just one way of cooking this homemade cannelloni from Abruzzo, I’d love to hear what you think. So, please feel free to message or comment here on the blog or on The Pasta Project Facebook page.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Buon Appetito!

Homemade Cannelloni from Abruzzo (cannelloni all’abruzzese)

Homemade Cannelloni from Abruzzo (cannelloni all’abruzzese)

Jacqui
A delicious traditional homemade cannelloni (manicotti) recipe from central Italy. Cannelloni all'abruzzese are homemade, fresh pasta sheets rolled around a 3 meat filling and baked with butter and cinnamon or in a tomato sauce. You can use dried pasta tubes too.
5 from 37 votes
Print Recipe Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour hr
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Course Homemade Pasta, Main Course
Cuisine Abruzzo, Central Italy, Italian, Mediterranean
Servings 6
Calories 745 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the homemade pasta

  • 350 g Italian 00 soft wheat flour (12oz) or all purpose flour or hard wheat semolina flour
  • 150 g fine corn flour (5oz)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • tepid water as required

For the cannelloni filling

  • 400 g mixed ground beef, pork and lamb (14oz) or just 2 types of ground meat
  • 100 g Pecorino Romano ( 3.5oz) grated
  • 4 large eggs or 5 medium
  • 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
  • 30 g unsalted butter (1oz)
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated
  • salt to taste

For tomato sauce if using

  • 500 g tomato passata (1.1lbs)
  • 2 garlic cloves peeled
  • fresh basil leaves
  • salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper. to taste
  • 50 g Parmigiano Reggiano (2oz) grated

Instructions
 

Make the pasta dough and sheets

  • Sift the soft wheat flour (or hard wheat semolina flour) and the fine corn flour into a bowl or onto a pastry board, add a pinch of salt. Mix the flours and enough water together until you have the beginnings of a dough ball. Then knead on a pastry board until the dough is firm and elastic. Roll the dough into a ball and let it rest covered or wrapped in plastic wrap for 30 minutes.
  • Cut off about ⅛th of the dough and roll it out into a thin sheet using a pasta machine or rolling pin (see notes). You should be able to just see your fingers through the sheet. Cut the dough sheet into 15cm squares and place them on a lightly floured surface. Repeat with the rest of the dough and let the ready sheets rest for another 10 minutes.

Make the filling

  • Mix the ground meat with the pecorino, eggs, salt and nutmeg in a bowl. Heat the olive oil and 20g of butter in a frying pan or skillet and cook the filling mixture stirring more or less continuously until the meat is browned. Set aside and allow to cool.

Parboil the pasta sheets

  • Bring abundant salted water to a boil, add a tablespoon of olive oil and cook the squares of pasta, a few at a time so that they do not stick together. Remove from the water one at a time and lay them gently on a clean tea towel.

Method 1 : Finish and bake your cannelloni.

  • Place a little of the prepared meat filling on each square. Roll the sheets of pasta into cannelloni and arrange them seam side down in a pan greased with olive oil or butter. Brush the cannelloni with beaten egg yolk, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon powder, add a few small pieces of butter on the top of the cannelloni and bake in a preheated oven at 160 ° C for about 20 minutes. Serve immediately

Method 2 : Cannelloni baked in tomato sauce.

  • You don’t need to parboil the pasta for this method. I prefer to use thinner fresh pasta sheets than for the first method. You can also use dried cannelloni or manicotti instead.

Make the tomato sauce.

  • Peel the garlic cloves and sauté them in olive oil until they start to soften. Add the tomato passata and some salt and pepper to taste and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove the garlic and add the basil. Cook for another 5 minutes on alow heat.

Finish and bake

  • Place some filling along the centre of each pasta square. Brush one side with egg yolk and roll the pasta around the filling (see photo in the post). Spread some tomato sauce in the bottom of an oven dish and place the cannelloni seam side down in the dish one next to the other.
  • Cover the cannelloni with the rest of the tomato sauce and sprinkle the top with a generous amount of parmigiano. Bake in a preheated oven at 175°c for about 25 minutes until the pasta is cooked and the cheese topping is slightly browned.
Prevent your screen from going dark

Notes

You can make the cannelloni with tomato sauce with homemade, ready-made fresh and dried pasta. None of these types need parboiling if you have enough sauce as the pasta will cook in the sauce. I recommend adding a little more sauce if using dried pasta tubes. The latter are difficult to fill if parboiled so it's not so easy to make the cinnamon and butter cannelloni with them.
This recipe should make enough cannelloni for a small starter serving for 6 or a main course for 4.
How to roll out pasta sheets with a machine.
Flatten a piece of dough with your hand and then pass it through the widest setting of your machine. On mine it is 7 on others it may be 1. Then fold the dough into three and pass it though the same setting again (see photos in post). Cut the end of the sheet to make it straight and repeat. Next pass the dough sheet through the next setting ( 6 or 2) without folding. I continue until my no 3 (could be 5 on another machine). Then if I want thinner sheets, I use a rolling pin. The pasta sheets are the right thickness when you can just see your fingers through the sheet,

Nutrition

Calories: 745kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 33gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 190mgSodium: 834mgPotassium: 743mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 844IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 366mgIron: 7mg
Keyword authentic Italian pasta recipe, cannelloni, homemade pasta, manicotti
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Other homemade cannelloni recipes to try.

  1. Potato and porcini cannelloni
  2. Homemade smoked salmon and ricotta cannelloni
  3. Cannelloni with pumpkin and goats cheese
  4. Cannelloni with spinach and ricotta

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Comments

    5 from 37 votes (25 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Jay says

    November 22, 2024 at 6:08 pm

    Hello Jacqui,

    I've never made fresh pasta for cannelloni. Can you tell me how thin you roll it -- assuming you use a pasta machine. If you roll it by hand, how transparent do you like it. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      November 23, 2024 at 11:07 am

      Hi Jay, thanks for your question. I have added the following info to the recipe and recipe notes for this homemade cannelloni from Abruzzo. When using a machine, I roll the dough out to the 2nd or 3rd thinnest setting. When rolling by hand, you need to just be able to see your fingers through the dough sheet for the right thickness. I hope that helps and please let me know how your cannelloni turn out if you make them.

      Reply
      • Jay says

        November 28, 2024 at 8:01 pm

        Thanks for the advice. I'm looking forward to trying this -- probably with ricotta and chard. Thanks.

        Reply
  2. Michele says

    December 13, 2022 at 11:18 pm

    I'm planning on following your recipe for cannelloni with tomato sauce for Christmas dinner this year. Can it be prepared a few days ahead, without sacrificing quality? If so any suggestions?
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Jacqui says

      December 14, 2022 at 11:36 pm

      Hi Michele, thanks for your comment. I think you can prepare the cannelloni in advance, fill them and the keep in the fridge for a couple of days then bake in tomato sauce. It's important that the filing is cold so it doesn't make the pasta mushy.

      Reply
  3. LHODB says

    May 22, 2022 at 8:56 am

    It's yummy ....Food.

    Reply
  4. Heidy says

    May 02, 2022 at 10:25 am

    This pasta recipe was so fabulous! I sincerely am glad I found it on Facebook. We made it for our friends on Sunday, and they even said it was awesome. I love when guests are happy! Have a great day.

    Reply
  5. Lisa says

    May 01, 2022 at 8:35 pm

    Using fresh pasta sheets for these makes them so special. Definitely worthy for a nice holiday meal!

    Reply
  6. Annie says

    April 29, 2022 at 4:20 am

    These cannelloni are so authentic and delicious! Everything in this dish is made with love and so worth the effort!

    Reply
  7. veenaazmanov says

    April 28, 2022 at 6:50 am

    A lovely and detailed recipe. Perfect side dish at the Dinner Table. Best for the weekend meal.

    Reply
    • Todd Howard says

      January 26, 2023 at 6:39 pm

      I am going to make this soon. Pasta is normally a side dish in Italy, it is a primo piatto (first dish). In the US, we rarely serve a meaty pasta dish and then a different main course. If you are serving a dinner in the Italian fashion, a meat and a non-pasta side dish would follow the primo piatto. Or fish, since there is plenty of meat in the cannelloni.

      Reply
      • Todd Howard says

        January 26, 2023 at 6:39 pm

        I meant that pasta is NOT normally a side dish in Italy.

        Reply
  8. Heather says

    April 27, 2022 at 11:38 pm

    Always wanted to try making cannelini! Sounds amazing and the tomato sauce version is the one for me!

    Reply
  9. Veronika says

    April 27, 2022 at 3:45 pm

    The second method with tomato sauce is right up my alley, it looks amazing! Kind of like lasagne. The first reminds me a lot of crepes haha. Can't wait to give these a try this weekend!

    Reply
  10. Sharon says

    April 26, 2022 at 7:17 pm

    Thank you for this step-by-step tutorial for homemade cannelloni. The pasta comes out perfectly every time.

    Reply
  11. Freya says

    April 26, 2022 at 6:31 pm

    I love cannelloni but I had never thought about making my own until I read your recipe, you completely demystified it and they came out perfectly!

    Reply
  12. Colleen says

    April 26, 2022 at 6:10 pm

    Homemade pasta is so much better than dried packages, and your step by step detailed instructions make it look foolproof. I am excited to make homemade cannelloni!

    Reply
  13. Enri Lemoine says

    April 26, 2022 at 5:06 pm

    I love cannelloni, and I love manicotti, I love pasta, Italy, and everything in between. I made your filling and tomato sauce recipes and filled store-bought manicotti. This brought memories of my mom, who used to make them when I was a child. I was in heaven. Thank you so much.

    Reply
  14. Deborah says

    April 22, 2022 at 8:12 pm

    This recipe for homemade cannelloni looks so good. I cannot wait to give it a try with the tomato sauce. Rolling the pasta around the dough actually sounds easier than trying to stuff tubes of manicotti that we find here in the US. I'm excited!

    Reply

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Buon giorno and welcome to my pasta project! My name is Jacqui. I’m originally a Londoner but in 2003 life’s journey brought me to the beautiful Veneto region of Italy where…

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