Cannelloni

Cannelloni is one of those satisfying comfort meals which can be time consuming to make but well worth the effort. The bechamel sauce has cottage cheese added to it to give it a creamy subtle cheese flavour which compliments this dish. You can either purchase cottage cheese or make your own in the Tefal Cuisine Companion by searching Cottage Cheese in this blog. If you have the Tefal Mini Bowl you can chop your onions and garlic in the mini bowl then add to the large Cuisine Companion bowl.

Baked Cannelloni garnished with rocket, chilli, basil, oregano, thyme and Parmesan and drizzled with olive oil. 

Cannelloni topped with Bechamel cheese sauce and pre baked for  20 minutes.

Topping with tomato sauce.

Layering filled cannelloni tubes before topping with tomato sauce and Bechamel cheese sauce and pre baking 20 minutes.

TIP: Always pre bake your prepared cannelloni for 20 minutes then set aside for at least 1 hour before topping with cheese and baking. I sometimes make in the morning or the day before, pre cook then refrigerate before topping with cheese before baking.

Note: For convenience I use frozen spinach thawed overnight in wire mesh sieve sitting over a bowl and squeezed through a clean tea towel to remove excess liquid when ready to use.

Note: Australian spoon measurements used - 1 tablespoon = 20 mls. 1 teaspoon = 5 mls

Grated Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese or pre packaged grated pasta bake cheese.

Tomato Sauce

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 brown Onion peeled and quartered

2 Garlic Cloves peeled

4 short cut Bacon Rashers diced

400 gm tin Crushed Tomatoes
150 gms Sundried Tomatoes roughly chopped

1 teaspoon Brown Sugar

2 teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 cup fresh Basil roughly chopped

Insert Ultrablade. Stopper in.

Add onion and garlic

Pulse until finely chopped scraping bowl with spatula as necessary

Insert Stirring Blade. Stopper out. Place some paper towelling over hole in lid to prevent splattering.

Add olive oil and bacon to chopped onions and garlic

Slow Cook P1:8mins scraping bowl with spatula as necessary.

Add all other ingredients EXCEPT basil

Slow Cook P2:15mins scraping bowl with spatula as necessary

Remove stirring blade

Stir through chopped basil

Set tomato sauce aside.  

Rinse Cuisine Companion bowl and dry with paper towelling.

Meat Filling

1 brown Onion peeled and quartered

1 Garlic Clove peeled

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

500 gms Minced Beef

1 tablespoon Tomato Paste

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 teaspoon dried Italian Herbs or 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped herbs or to taste. I added 1 tablespoon each of fresh basil and oregano.

250 gms frozen chopped Spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed through a clean tea towel to remove excess liquid

1 tablespoons Cream

Insert Ultrablade. Stopper in.

Add onion and garlic

Pulse until finely chopped scraping bowl as necessary

Leave Ultrablade in. Remove Stopper.
Add olive oil. 

Slow Cook P1:5mins scraping bowl with spatula every minute

Add minced beef

Slow Cook P1:5mins scraping bowl with spatula as necessary

Insert Stirring Blade. Stopper out

Add tomato paste, salt and pepper and herbs. Stir through with spatula

Slow Cook P2:10mins scraping bowl with spatula as necessary

Remove stirring blade

Add cream and stir through with spatula or wooden spoon

Add well drained spinach and stir through with spatula or wooden spoon until evenly combined

Set aside.

Wash Cuisine Companion bowl and lid, dry.

Cheese Bechamel

This is an adapted recipe from the Million Menus cookbook

750 mls milk

75 gms Plain Flour

Salt and Pepper to taste

75 gms butter diced

250-300 gms cottage cheese blended smooth using Tefal mini bowl Speed 11 or stick blender or pushed through a fine mesh sieve

Insert Whisk. Stopper in.

Add milk and flour

Sp7:1min 20sec

Remove Stopper
Add diced butter, salt and pepper

Sp4:90deg:12 mins or until seating to thicken

Add cottage cheese

Sp4:1min or until smooth

Set aside until thick

Cannelloni Assembly

Grease a rectangular baking dish. Mine measured 25x20cm.

Strain tomato sauce of any excess liquid

Spread 1/3 of tomato sauce in base of baking dish
Fill cannelloni tubes with meat filling using piping bag or teaspoon pushing filling into tube with handle of wooden spoon. 

Place filled cannelloni shells on top of sauce in a single layer
Spread any remaining meat filling on top

Add rest of tomato sauce

Top with Bechamel cheese sauce (you may not need all the Becamel cheese sauce)

Bake 160 deg for 20 mins then set aside for at least 1 hour before topping with cheese and baking 160 deg for 20-25 mins or until golden.