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Spinach Beef Cannelloni (Manicotti)

Recipe video above. You will love how flavourful the juicy beef filling and sauce is! Too many recipes disappoint by using plain canned tomato - the sauce needs flavour! It will seem like there's a lot of sauce (and there is) and that it's too thin (and it is!) BUT you need it because the cannelloni sucks up a lot when it's cooking!!! Serves 4 very hungry people, 5 normal people.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
Servings: 5
Calories: 60906 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian , American , Italian-American Fussion

Ingredients

Cannelloni Sauce:
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1/2 onion , finely chopped
  • 1 carrot , small, finely chopped (optional)
  • 1 celery rib , finely chopped (optional)
  • 800g / 28oz crushed tomato , canned
  • 2 cups (500ml) chicken stock / broth , low sodium (or vegetable)
  • 1/2 tsp EACH thyme, oregano, salt, pepper
  • 1/4 tsp chilli flakes , optional
Spinach Beef Filling:
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1/2 onion , finely chopped
  • 500g / 1lb beef mince , lean
  • 250g / 8oz frozen spinach, chopped , thawed, excess liquid squeezed out (Note 1)
  • 1 beef bouillon cube , crumbled (Note 2)
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 
Cannelloni:
  • 21 - 24 cannelloni tubes (220g/7oz) OR 10 Manicotti tubes (Note 3)
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese , freshly grated (or other melting cheese)
  • chopped parsley , garnish (optional)

Instructions

Cannelloni Sauce:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan or pot over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook 2 minutes. Add carrot and celery, cook 5 minutes.
  2. Add remaining Sauce ingredients then stir. Bring to simmer, lower heat to medium, cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Use a stick blender to blitz until smooth (or cool slightly and use blender or food processor). Set aside.
Spinach Beef Filling:
  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook 2 minutes.
  2. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it all changes from red to brown.
  3. Stir in spinach, then add crumbled beef cube, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and 1 cup of Cannelloni Sauce. Stir, cook 2 minutes.
  4. Remove and cool slightly.
Assembly and Baking:
  1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
  2. Transfer Beef Filling into a piping bag with a wide nozzle. Stand cannelloni tubes upright in a container, then pipe filling in. (Or do this step with teaspoon/finger/dinner knife!).
  3. Spread about 1 1/4 cups Sauce in a 23x33cm / 9x13" dish. Lay the cannelloni on top, then pour over remaining Sauce.
  4. Sprinkle with cheese, loosely cover with foil.
  5. Bake 25 minutes, remove foil then bake a further 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly with some golden spots.
  6. Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley if using then serve!

Notes

  • Spinach - I use frozen for convenience. Feel free to use fresh - you'll need 200g/7oz fresh spinach (about 6 - 8 cups) roughly chopped. Then plunge briefly into pot of boiling water until it wilts (weight will increase due to water), then use per recipe.
  • Beef bouillon cube - also known as beef stock cube, can also use 1 tsp beef stock powder / granulated beef bouillon. It's used here to add extra flavour into filling - better than using plain salt!
  • Cannelloni
  • Storage - keep cooked leftovers in the fridge for 4 days and reheat in microwave. Can also freeze cooked leftovers - thaw then reheat.
  • Freezing uncooked (best freezing method) - add an extra 1/2 cup of water in the sauce, then assemble per recipe. Do not bake. Cover, cool, freeze. To bake, thaw then cook per recipe.
  • Nutrition per serving
  • 1 standard packet is usually 250g and has 30 tubes, you will only use 21 - 24 tubes.
  • Cannelloni is a tube shaped dry pasta 7cm / 3″ long, 2cm / 2/3″ wide. Stuff uncooked, will cook & soften in oven.
  • Can also use manicotti - bigger version of cannelloni with ridges. Recipe will fill about 10 manicotti tubes.
  • Can also roll filling up in fresh lasagna sheets - whatever size you want them to be!

Nutrition Information

Calories 609.06cal (30%) Carbohydrates 50.15g (17%) Protein 42.14g (84%) Fat 27.64g (43%) Saturated Fat 11.12g (56%) Cholesterol 100.42mg (33%) Sodium 1079.82mg (45%) Potassium 1268.79mg (36%) Fiber 6.67g (27%) Sugar 10.93g (22%) Vitamin A 8613.55IU (172%) Vitamin C 20.44mg (23%) Calcium 383.77mg (38%) Iron 6.28mg (35%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 5Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 60906

% Daily Value*

Calories 609.06cal 30%
Carbohydrates 50.15g 17%
Protein 42.14g 84%
Fat 27.64g 43%
Saturated Fat 11.12g 56%
Cholesterol 100.42mg 33%
Sodium 1079.82mg 45%
Potassium 1268.79mg 27%
Fiber 6.67g 27%
Sugar 10.93g 22%
Vitamin A 8613.55IU 172%
Vitamin C 20.44mg 23%
Calcium 383.77mg 38%
Iron 6.28mg 35%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.