Veal Cannelloni is a love story that has stretched across more than fifty years. It marks the luckiest day of my life, the day she said “I do.” For decades, our anniversary tradition was celebrated in whichever Italian restaurant our wandering lives carried us to. That is, until recently. The last local restaurant serving our cherished dish closed its doors, a casualty of time and transition, when the founders passed and their heir chose not to continue. With that chapter closed, I had only one option left—to bring this beloved dish into my own kitchen.
If you’ve ever tasted a forkful of veal cannelloni, you already know no introduction is necessary. For everyone else, allow me a small manifesto on its virtues—and why it belongs on your table. The pasta itself is tender yet resilient, with a nutty depth and enough bite to remind you it’s there. The filling? A luscious blend of seasoned veal, sautéed spinach, and creamy ricotta, marrying richness with comfort. Draped in silky alfredo, baked until bubbling, then crowned with a bright Pomodoro sauce that cuts through the indulgence with just the right acidity. A few sprigs of basil complete the dish, adding freshness and a touch of beauty.
By now, you should be imagining the aroma wafting from the oven, your appetite growing, your mouth watering with an impatient fork in hand. So…
Let’s Make Veal Canneloni
Procure the cannelloni pasta tubes before anything else, because you may have to get them via an on-line source. If you have to do this, order double or triple what you think you need, because the breakage rate is breathtaking.
When you have all the ingredients, proceed to the first step. Making the filling.
Heat the oil over medium heat, add the onion and cook until soft – about 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the veal and cook until there is no pink remaining. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat, drain off the rendered fat, set aside to cool.
Saute the spinach with a tablespoon of olive oil until it wilts 1-2 minutes. Remove, place on paper towels and press to remove excess oil and water then set aside.
Place the veal, spinach and ricotta in a food processor. Pulse until fine enough to use a piping bag to fill the cannelloni tubes. Fill a large piping bag with the mix and set aside.
Finish the Canneloni
Preheat oven to 350, warm the pomodoro sauce and make the alfredo sauce. Spoon alfredo sauce into the bottom of each baking dish.
Parboil the pasta in salted water for 6 minutes or half the producers recommended time, remove, rinse under cold water and drain. Pipe the filling into the cannelloni tubes and Place the filled cannelloni in each dish
Cover the cannelloni with alfredo sauce and bake until bubbling and golden for 40 minutes. Let them stand 10 minutes, garnish with pomodoro sauce, grated parmesan and basil
Veal Canneloni
Seasoned veal stuffed into al dente pasta tubes, smothered in alfredo sauce, baked and crowned with pomodoro and fresh basil.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 80
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Ingredients
Veal Filling
- 12–16 cannelloni pasta tubes
- 3 tsp olive oil
- 3 TBL onion – minced
- 2 garlic clove – minced
- 2 lb ground veal
- 1 cup packed spinach
- 1–1/3 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper – more to taste
Alfredo Sauce
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup half and half
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 3 cups finely grated parmesan
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Finished Canneloni
- 1 cup pomodoro sauce – get the recipe HERE
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- Fresh basil tips – garnish
Instructions
Veal Filling
- Heat the oil over medium heat, add the onion and cook until soft – about 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the veal and cook until there is no pink remaining. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat, drain off the rendered fat, set aside and let it cool
- Saute’ the spinach with a tablespoon of olive oil until it wilts. Remove, place on paper towels and press to remove excess oil and water then set aside
- Use a food processor to mix the veal, spinach and ricotta cheese. Pulse until fine enough to use a piping bag to fill the cannelloni tubes. Fill a large piping bag with the mix and set aside
Alfredo Sauce
- Simmer butter, cream and half and half for 2 minutes, whisk in everything else and keep warm
Finishing the Canneloni
- Preheat oven to 350, warm the pomodoro sauce and make the alfredo sauce. Spoon alfredo sauce into the bottom of each baking dish. Keep warm
- Parboil the pasta in salted water for 6 minutes or half the producers recommended time, remove, rinse under cold water and drain. Pipe the filling into the cannelloni tubes
- Place the filled cannelloni in each dish
- Cover the cannelloni with alfredo sauce and bake until bubbling and golden for 40 minutes
- Let stand 10 minutes, garnish with pomodoro sauce, grated parmesan and basil