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Baked Cannelloni are large pasta shells stuffed with sausage, mushrooms, and cheese! This delicious dinner is a pasta lover’s dream. Covered in a creamy sauce, this sausage cannelloni recipe is a crowd favorite. Perfect for a weeknight family dinner or to serve to guests.
Baked Cannelloni
Cannelloni or manicotti shells are stuffed with a flavorful mixture of sausage and cheese, then coated in a creamy white sauce. Baked in a rectangular casserole dish, this recipe is not only tasty, it’s gorgeous too!
Ingredients
- Cannelloni or manicotti shells
- Ground Italian sausage
- Olive oil
- Onion, diced small
- Diced mushrooms
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Egg yolks
- Butter
- Flour
- Milk
- Parmesan cheese, shredded
- Dried oregano
Supplies:
- 9×13 casserole dish
- wooden spoon
- large skillet
- silicone brush
Instructions
In a large skillet over medium heat add olive oil, onion and mushroom cook for 5 minutes allowing the onion to soften and the mushrooms to release liquid. Add the ground sausage and cook, breaking apart during the process until no longer pink.
The creamy white sauce is called béchamel sauce. Béchamel sauce is a rich white sauce made with milk, flour, butter, and then we add in cheese! This creamy cheesy sauce really makes the cannelloni so delicious!
Melt butter in the saucepan and dust in the flour. Slowly add in the milk and whisk until smooth and thickened over medium-low heat. Then, add the sausage mixture, cheese, egg yolks, and oregano to the cream sauce mixture and stir until fully combined.
Stuffed Cannelloni Pasta Shells
To a 9×13 baking dish, use a silicone brush to coat the bottom of the dish with a think layer of béchamel sauce.
Use a spoon or gloved hands to fill the cannelloni tubes with the filling and place in an even layer in the casserole dish. Add the reserved sauce, followed by the remaining shredded cheese, to the top of the cannelloni.
Bake for 45 minutes until cheese becomes golden and bubbly! This Italian style comfort food dinner is cheesy, decadent, and simply over the top delcious. Enjoy!
More Recipes by The Blogette to Try Next:
- Chicken Broccoli Lasagna
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi and Pasta
- Crock Pot Creamy Ranch Chicken and Noodles
- Air Fryer Taco Stuffed Shells
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Cheese Stuffed Meatballs
Baked Cannelloni
Equipment
- 9×13 Casserole dish
- Wooden spoon
- Large skillet
- silicone brush
Ingredients
- 1 box cannelloni or manicotti shells
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 ounces diced mushrooms
- 12 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 egg yolksÂ
- 6 tablespoons butterÂ
- 6 tablespoons flourÂ
- 3 cups milk
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, shreddedÂ
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to al dente according to box directions.Â
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
To Make the Filling
- In a large skillet over medium heat add olive oil, onion and mushroom cook for 5 minutes allowing the onion to soften and the mushrooms to release liquid.Â
- Add the ground sausage and cook, breaking apart during the process until no longer pink.Â
- Transfer to a large bowl.Â
To Make the Bechamel Sauce (cream sauce)
- Add the butter to the skillet and melt.
- Dust in the flour.
- Stir until cooked and coated with butter.Â
- Slowly add in the milk and whisk until smooth and thickened over medium heat.Â
- Remove 3/4 cup of sauce to the side
- Add the sausage mixture to the sauce and stir.Â
- Add 1/2 of the total cheese, the 2 egg yolks, and oregano to the sauce and stir.Â
Stuffing the Shells
- To a 9×13 casserole dish, use a silicone brush to coat the bottom of the dish with a thin layer of the bechamel sauce.
- Use a spoon or gloved hands to fill the pasta shells with the filling and place them in an even layer in the casserole dish.Â
- Top the shells with the reserved sauce, followed by the remaining shredded cheese.Â
- Bake for 45 minutes until cheese becomes golden and bubbly.Â
Question… instructions say to cook pasta to al dente but then in instructions to stuff shells, it says pasta doesnt need to be boiled before placing in oven?? Do they need to be boiled or just baked? Thank you, the recipe sounds delish.
Sorry about that typo! The shells don’t need to be FULLY cooked before baking (just al dente). I hope that helps:)
This was amazing! I added some fresh spinach to the meat mixture, prior to the sauce. Definitely moving this one to the favorites category!