Cannelloni al Forno

Cannelloni al forno is the dish I make when the weather turns and the table needs something bubbling: pasta tubes piped full of a creamy three-cheese ricotta filling, blanketed in a herby beef and tomato sauce, and baked until golden at the edges.

It looks like a project but behaves like a weeknight dish — the filling is a whisk-and-done bowl, the sauce is one skillet, and the oven handles the drama.

Even better: it is a make-ahead champion. Assemble it in the morning (or freeze it for next month), bake it when needed, and serve with a green salad and crusty bread.

Cannelloni al Forno Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes · Cook time: 30 minutes · Total: 40 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~283 per serving

Ingredients

• 12 cannelloni tubes (about 8 oz)
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1½ cups shredded mozzarella, divided
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Whisk the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, the Parmesan, eggs, salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion and garlic until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up, until browned. Drain the fat and stir in the oregano, basil, salt and pepper.
4. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in the dish. Fill the cannelloni with the ricotta mixture (a piping bag makes this painless) and arrange them in one layer.
5. Stir the remaining tomato sauce into the beef and pour it over the cannelloni. Top with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella and extra Parmesan.
6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until melted and bubbly.
7. Scatter with parsley and serve hot.

Recipe Notes

• No-boil (oven-ready) cannelloni tubes work perfectly here.
• Cottage cheese or mascarpone can stand in for part of the ricotta.
• Assembled ahead and refrigerated, it needs about 10 extra minutes in the oven.
• It freezes up to 3 months — thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.