Cannelloni

Cannelloni (singular cannellone) are large tubes of pasta made to be filled and baked. De Cecco calls them one of the oldest pasta forms, strips of dough rolled into cylinders to hold a filling; today they are sold dry, made from durum wheat semolina alone or from semolina and eggs. ¹³

An old shape with a written history. Garofalo says its cannelloni come from Emilia-Romagna and traces early mentions to Il Cuoco Galante by the Neapolitan Vincenzo Corrado, which speaks of a kind of large stuffed macaroni. ⁴ In the first half of the 19th century, it adds, the Arezzo cook Giovanni Battista Maggi proposed a timballo of cannelloni. ⁴

Semolina or egg. Italian law allows dry pasta of durum wheat semolina and water only, while egg pasta needs at least four whole hen eggs, or 200 g of egg, per kilogram of semolina. ² Granoro's n. 76 lists semolina as its only ingredient, De Cecco's n° 100 contains 19.36% egg, and Rummo also makes an egg version, n° 176. ³¹⁵

Sizes and times. Rummo gives its egg cannelloni as 95.5 mm long, 24.5 mm across and 1.15 mm thick, baked for 25 minutes. ⁵ Garofalo boils its bronze-drawn tubes for 3 minutes and bakes them for 20, De Cecco gives 20 minutes and Divella 40 for its n. 84. ⁴¹⁶ The pack decides, because walls and drying differ. ⁴⁶

Fillings and sauces. De Cecco suggests meat, or vegetables and ricotta, baked under a thin layer of tomato sauce and béchamel. ¹ Rummo pairs its egg cannelloni with ricotta and meat ragù, or with radicchio cream and chopped hazelnuts, and Divella with meat, vegetables or cheese. ⁵⁶ Garofalo says the generous thickness gives the dish a texture of its own. ⁴

Filling them without tearing. Panzani advises waiting until the stuffing is lukewarm and filling each tube with a spoon or a piping bag. ⁹ Divella's baked cannelloni are filled with minced meat, mozzarella and cooked ham, laid side by side on a layer of tomato sauce, covered with more sauce and parmesan and baked at 180 °C for 30 minutes. ⁷

Nutrition and allergens. Garofalo's semolina cannelloni give 351 kcal per 100 g, with 70 g of carbohydrate and 14 g of protein; Granoro's give 354 kcal and 12.5 g of protein. ⁴³ Wheat, egg and milk are all on the EU list of allergens to highlight, and Granoro warns that its semolina tubes may contain traces of egg. ¹²³

Cannelloni vs manicotti. Barilla's American manicotti are dry semolina tubes without egg, boiled for 7 minutes before baking. ¹¹ In Italy, cannelloni come both in semolina and in egg dough, like De Cecco's n° 100 with 19.36% egg and its tomato-and-béchamel bake. ¹ The idea is the same, a filled tube in the oven; the name and dough are what change. ¹¹¹

Why it matters to you. Read the pack first: some cannelloni bake raw, others need a short boil, and times run from 20 to 40 minutes. ⁹⁴⁶ Fill them lukewarm and keep plenty of sauce around the tubes. ⁹⁷ Check the label for wheat, egg and milk. ¹²³