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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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)
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 tsp 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 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
- 30 g unsalted butter (1oz)
- 1 tsp 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 1/8th of the dough and roll it out into a thin sheet using a pasta machine or rolling pin (see notes). Cut the dough sheet into15cm 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.
Notes
Other homemade cannelloni recipes to try.
- Potato and porcini cannelloni
- Homemade smoked salmon and ricotta cannelloni
- Cannelloni with pumpkin and goats cheese
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If you are interested in learning how to make homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians! Plus, while you’re there why not order a copy of one of my pasta recipe cookbooks or check out some recommended pasta making tools? All great prezzies for pasta lovers!
Heidy says
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.
Lisa says
Using fresh pasta sheets for these makes them so special. Definitely worthy for a nice holiday meal!
Annie says
These cannelloni are so authentic and delicious! Everything in this dish is made with love and so worth the effort!
veenaazmanov says
A lovely and detailed recipe. Perfect side dish at the Dinner Table. Best for the weekend meal.
Heather says
Always wanted to try making cannelini! Sounds amazing and the tomato sauce version is the one for me!
Veronika says
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!
Sharon says
Thank you for this step-by-step tutorial for homemade cannelloni. The pasta comes out perfectly every time.
Freya says
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!
Colleen says
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!
Enri Lemoine says
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.
Deborah says
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!