What are Spanish Canelones?
A popular dish in Spain, this lasagna like pasta is enjoyed year-round. However, at its origin, it was often served the day after St. Stephen’s Day (also known as Boxing Day) and other major holidays like Christmas, to use up the leftover meat from the previous day’s feast.
Ingredients:
- 500 grams ground beef
- 1 small onion (or ½ big onion)
- 1 small Spanish green pepper (or ½ green bell pepper)
- 1 small carrot
- 1 package of cannelloni pasta (about 125 grams – 20 sheets)
- ½ cup Spanish tomato sauce
- 2 or 3 cups béchamel sauce
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp. butter
Cookware:
- Large pot
- Medium pan
- Oven proof container or baking tray
- Cooking paddles
- Knife
- Chopping board
Instructions:
1. In a large pot, heat water (high heat). Once it starts boiling, add the cannelloni sheets (introducing them one by one so they don’t stick to each other). Boil them as directed in the package (mine was 15 minutes). Once they are ready, drain them and reserve for later.
2. In a pan add olive oil, the onion (peeled and chopped very finely), the green pepper (chopped very finely), and the carrot (peeled and chopped very finely). Sauté them (high heat) until they are soft.
3. Once the vegetables are ready, add the ground beef, a little bit of salt, and a little bit of pepper. Then mix all the ingredients and cook on high heat until the ground beef is fully cooked.
4. Once the beef is ready, add ½ cup of Spanish tomato sauce. Mix it very well with the rest of the ingredients and cook it for about 30 seconds.
5. Now take one of the cannelloni sheets, add some of the cooked meat in the center, and roll it. Then put it inside an oven proof container and repeat the process with the rest of the cannelloni sheets.
6. Once all of them are in the container, cover them with the béchamel sauce. Sprinkle some shredded parmesan cheese over it and put the butter in small pieces.
7. Bake it at 365°F (180°C) for 25 minutes or until golden.
About This Recipe
This recipe is called “canelones.” It is a very well-known Spanish recipe, similar to lasagna. This was my father’s favorite recipe, and he passed away a year ago. In a way, he inspired me to start this new adventure in social media where I share recipes in English with a Spanish touch to reach the whole world.
Every time I make this recipe, it always takes me back to my childhood and brings back wonderful memories with my family. Memories that today I value more than ever, and that is why it is so important to me.
I have always liked cooking. I guess I have it in my veins since both my paternal grandmother and my maternal grandmother, and of course, my mother, have been and are excellent cooks. I have learned many recipes and many cooking tricks from them, which I now try to transmit and teach to my followers.
Cooking makes me feel close to my loved ones, both those who are here and those who have left us. A year ago my father passed away after a hard battle with cancer. My father was one of the best people I have ever known and a very wise person. He also loved to cook and innovate in the kitchen, and was really good at it. We spent the last months of his life watching many cooking shows from around the world, and learning many different techniques and recipes. When he passed away, he left me with a big void I didn’t know how to fill and a sadness I didn’t know how to cope with, and that’s when I decided to honor his memory in a way that united us in his last months: cooking.
So, a little less than a year ago, I decided to start this new culinary adventure on social networks, creating a YouTube channel and an Instagram account where I share my recipes with anyone who wants to appreciate them. I am always available for anyone who needs a cooking tip or wants to know how to make a special recipe. This has helped me to overcome the emptiness my father left and keeps me very busy and with a new vision, to teach my family recipes to the whole world. I don’t know if this project will go well or not, but one thing is for sure, I have all my desire put in it.
Spanish Canelones
Equipment
- Large pot
- Medium pan
- Oven proof container or baking tray
- Cooking paddles
- Knife
- Chopping board
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef (a little more than a pound)
- 1 small onion (or ½ big onion)
- 1 small Spanish green pepper (or ½ green bell pepper)
- 1 small carrot
- 1 package cannelloni pasta (about 125 grams – 20 sheets)
- 1/2 cup Spanish tomato sauce
- 2-3 cups béchamel sauce
- salt
- olive oil
- shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp. butter
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat water (high heat). Once it starts boiling, add the cannelloni sheets (introducing them one by one so they don’t stick to each other). Boil them as directed in the package (mine was 15 minutes). Once they are ready, drain them and reserve for later.
- In a pan add olive oil, the onion (peeled and chopped very finely), the green pepper (chopped very finely), and the carrot (peeled and chopped very finely). Sauté them (high heat) until they are soft.
- Once the vegetables are ready, add the ground beef, a little bit of salt, and a little bit of pepper. Then mix all the ingredients and cook on high heat until the ground beef is fully cooked.
- Once the beef is ready, add ½ cup of Spanish tomato sauce. Mix it very well with the rest of the ingredients and cook it for about 30 seconds.
- Now take one of the cannelloni sheets, add some of the cooked meat in the center, and roll it. Then put it inside an oven proof container and repeat the process with the rest of the cannelloni sheets.
- Once all of them are in the container, cover them with the béchamel sauce. Sprinkle some shredded parmesan cheese over it and put the butter in small pieces.
- Bake it at 365°F (180°C) for 25 minutes or until golden.
Video
This recipe was submitted to Love What Matters by Maria R S B. You can follow her on Instagram and YouTube. Submit your own story here, and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
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