Beef Cannelloni in Bechamel Sauce

Hi everyone! Here you have my recipe for today. This is the way I cook cannelloni for my son. He really loves this dish. It takes a little time to prepare it, but the result is worthwhile and this is very easy to cook. Homemade cannelloni are much more healthy and tastier than those from supermarkets. I often make this dish the day before and pop in the fridge, just to bake in the oven 30 minutes before serving it. 

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

For the filling:
600 g minced beef
16 cannelloni tubes
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes
300 ml passata (mashed) tomato
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

For the bechamel:
500 ml milk (cold)
3 tablespoons of plain flour
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
150 g grated cheese

Difficulty and cooking time:

Easy
1 hour and a half

Method:

Finely chop the onion and garlic

Wash, peel and chop the tomatoes

Pour 100 ml olive oil on a frying pan, stir- fry the chopped onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Then add the mince, salt to taste and cook over a medium heat, stirring from time to time until the mince is golden brown.

When the mince is done add the chopped tomato and cook for 5 minutes stirring thoroughly.

Then add the passata (mashed) tomato

Stir well, simmer for 5 minutes and save this filling for later.

Boil the dried cannelloni tubes in salted water for 2 minutes

Drain and refresh the pasta tubes with cold water. (Lasagne pasta sheets can also be used instead, just put the filling on them and make these rolls yourself)

Put 50 ml of olive oil in a saucepan or pot over a low heat. Add 3 tablespoons of flour and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring thoroughly until flour turns golden.

Pour in the cold milk, stirring thoroughly to prevent lumps.

Salt to taste, simmer for about 10 minutes stirring continuously and the bechamel sauce for the topping will be ready.

Fill the pasta tubes using a teaspoon

 Add a little olive oil on a baking tray and lay the stuffed cannelloni on it.

Pour on the bechamel sauce, then sprinke with your favourite grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 180ºC, bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve piping hot.

  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

See you soon,

María