Usually eaten for Sunday lunch in Italy, cannelloni can also be made for any special occasion, and they always make the table happy! One of Italy’s most traditional recipes, you can stuff them in an infinite number of ways, to suit just about any taste. With vegetable-based fillings for vegetarians, with meat or fish for the omnivores, or with cheese and veggies if you don’t have lactose-intolerance issues.
Fresh pasta
Although they might seem difficult to make, cannelloni actually require very little effort because you can use egg pasta for lasagna to make the cannelloni. The only time you’ll need is to make the filling! In case you want to make the dough from scratch however, just remember that the base of cannelloni is always a fresh sheet of dough made according to tradition, with flour and eggs, which you’ll knead until combined (for quite awhile), then let rest for an hour before pulling the dough with the pasta machine. The recipe calls for one egg for every 4 oz of flour. Once you start kneading the eggs and flour, be careful that the dough has the right consistency: If it is too soft and "wet," add a little more flour. If it’s too hard and difficult to work with, add a little water at room temperature. The mixture should be worked vigorously for at least ten minutes to form the glutinic mesh.
Filling ideas for everyone!
Whether you make a meat sauce, a mixture of herbs and ricotta cheese, or fish accompanied by a tomato sauce, the filling can be made the day before. In fact, this will make it even tastier. Be bold with your combinations! And don't forget to sprinkle the pasta with some Parmigiano Reggiano before baking to make that delicious golden crust on top (unless you’re making fish cannelloni, that is).