Mary Berry shared her straightforward recipe for a “classic Italian” beef cannelloni dish that is both comforting and tasty. Making enough for six or so servings, it’s the ideal family meal (or a good one to save leftovers for another day).
Taken from the Mary Makes It Easy cookbook, it takes less than half an hour to prepare, but it will be up to two hours before it’s ready to eat. That’s because there’s a bit of simmering on the hob so that the flavours infuse together, then it’s baked in the oven for about 40 minutes. But, overall, it’s a fairly simple dish that you can leave on the hob and in the oven while you’re relaxing in the lounge.
Ingredients
For the cannelloni filling:
- One tbsp olive oil
- One onion, finely chopped
- Two garlic cloves, finely grated
- 400g lean beef mince
- Two tbsp plain flour
- 300ml beef stock
- Drops of Worcestershire sauce
- Four heaped tbsp tomato purée
- One tbsp freshly chopped thyme
- For the tomato and basil sauce:
- One tbsp olive oil
- Two onions, diced
- Two garlic cloves, crushed
- Two x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- One tbsp tomato purée
- Half tsp sugar
- Small bunch fresh basil, leaves chopped
- Salt and black pepper
To assemble:
- 16 dried cannelloni pasta tubes
- 125g ball mozzarella, sliced
- 55g Parmesan, grated
To serve:
Method
Making the cannelloni filling
Heat the oil in a deep saucepan over a high heat, add the onion and fry for a few minutes, then add the garlic and beef mince and fry until browned.
Sprinkle on the flour, add in the stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomato purée, and the thyme, then stir.
Cover the saucepan with a lid and simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Tomato and basil sauce
While the cannelloni filling is simmering, heat oil in another saucepan on high heat, add the onions and fry for five minutes.
Add the garlic, pour in the tomatoes, tomato purée, 150ml of water, then season with salt and black pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.
Once the half hour is over, taste the sauce and add sugar, if needed. Stir in the basil.
Putting it together
Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan). Spoon one-third of the tomato sauce in an ovenproof dish.
Using a teaspoon, fill each cannelloni tube with the mince filling, then arrange in a single layer over the basil sauce in the ovenproof dish.
Spoon the remaining sauce on top, scatter on the mozzarella and Parmesan, then cook in the oven for about 35 to 40 minutes. Serve alongside a salad.