Cannelloni with minced pork and béchamel sauce

Cannelloni with ground pork in béchamel sauce is Italian elegance in its purest form. Imagine: dense tubes of pasta filled with aromatic ground pork and sage, placed in a mold and coated with a velvety milk sauce that turns into a golden, bubbly "coat" in the oven. There are no half measures in this recipe: if you're going to make a béchamel, make it with heavy cream, and if you're stuffing the pasta, make it with non-vegetarian ground pork, breadcrumbs, and egg for a juicy result. In the recipe below, we used rolled lasagna noodles. But you can also buy pre-made cannelloni.

Step 1

Peel and finely chop the onion. Heat oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion for 5 minutes. Add the ground meat and chopped sage and sauté over high heat, stirring and breaking up any lumps, for 10–15 minutes. Let cool, add the breadcrumbs and egg, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 2

For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1–2 minutes. Gradually pour in the milk, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Pour in the cream, cover, and remove from heat.

Step 3

Cut the mozzarella into cubes and the tomatoes into thin half rings.

Step 4

Place the lasagna sheets one by one in boiling salted water for 1–2 minutes and place them on a work surface.

Step 5

Divide the filling into 9 portions and roll into sausages. Place each sausage on a sheet of lasagna dough and roll into a tube.

Step 6

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a baking dish and place the cooked cannelloni in it. Pour white sauce over it. Top with mozzarella and tomato slices. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Bake until golden brown, 40 minutes.

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