Beef and Ricotta Cannelloni
This low fat cannelloni recipe stuffs oven ready lasagna sheets with a ground beef and ricotta mixture before baking everything in a dish of marinara, alfredo sauce, and parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
For the Cannelloni Filling
- 1 lb Ground Beef I used 96/4
- 1 Onion diced
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste
- 1 C (248g) Low Fat Ricotta
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Parsley
For the Shells and Sauce
- 12 sheets Oven Ready Lasagne I used Barilla
- 24 oz jar Marinara
- 1 C (240g) Light Alfredo Sauce I used Classico
- 1/2 C (56g) Shredded Parmesan
Instructions
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Before you do any other prep, fill a 13x9 baking dish with water and submerge the lasagne sheets in the water to soften.*
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Preheat oven to 350F.
Cooking the Cannelloni Filling
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Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with nonstick cooking spray. Add the onion, garlic, beef, salt, and pepper. Cook until no pink remains and the beef is cooked through.
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Remove from the heat to briefly cool before stirring in the ricotta and parsley.
Filling the Cannelloni
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Once the lasagne sheets have softened (about 15-20 minutes in the water), transfer them to a flat surface and cut them in half.**
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Drain the water from the baking dish and place about half the marinara in the bottom of the dish.
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Fill each half of the lasagne sheet with the beef mixture and tightly roll. Place them, sealed-side-down in the dish on top of the marinara. Repeat until you have 24.
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Add the remaining marinara around the edges and in the center gaps. Followed by the alfredo sauce and parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 25-35 minutes. (If the cheese browns too quickly, cover with foil until the pasta is tender.)
Recipe Notes
*You can also boil the sheets for a few minutes or place in a large bowl of water and microwave for 5-6 minutes to soften.
**You can leave the lasagne sheets whole, but I like cutting them for several reasons. They are easier to roll and serve, and the sauce bakes in between the two halves when cut.
- Each serving has 8 Smart Points.
- If you have questions about using different types of pasta, non-oven-ready lasagna, or other ingredient substitutions, check the post above.