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This Cannelloni recipe has all the best parts of traditional Italian comfort food — rich tomato sauce, creamy ricotta filling, and layers of melty mozzarella — made in a surprisingly easy, time-saving way!
Here’s the genius twist: instead of wrestling with fussy cannelloni tubes (and the dreaded piping bag!), this recipe uses no-boil lasagna noodles. You simply parboil them until pliable, spread on the cheesy spinach filling, roll them up, and bake. No tearing, no frustration — just perfect, elegant cannelloni every single time.
It looks like a labor of love from an Italian grandmother’s kitchen, but it’s secretly weeknight-doable. One bite of that silky ricotta-spinach filling wrapped in tender pasta and topped with luscious homemade sauce, and you’ll understand why this shortcut feels like pure kitchen genius.
Baked pastas are the ultimate comfort food — and if you love this, be sure to try my Classic Lasagna, Baked Ziti with Ricotta, Stuffed Shells, or Chicken Alfredo Lasagna next. Each one is just as cozy, cheesy, and completely crave-worthy! ❤️
So grab your baking dish and a box of no-boil lasagna noodles — we’re turning a classic Italian favorite into an effortlessly elegant meal that’s every bit as impressive as the traditional version, only so much easier!
What I Love About Cannelloni Recipe
This full of flavor, classic Italian Cannelloni Recipe is fantastic in so many ways. Besides making your kitchen smell like heaven, the presentation is elegant and feels a little fancy, but it is so simple to make! I also love:
- It utilizes no-boil noodles that are sooo easy to stuff!
- The delicious homemade sauce
- The triple cheese indulgence
- The authentic Italian flavor
✨ Before You Begin
✨ Secret Ingredient Swap: Forget those tricky cannelloni tubes! Barilla’s no-boil lasagna noodles roll beautifully once softened and make this dish so much easier to assemble.
✨ Squeeze That Spinach: Make sure every last drop of moisture is out — wrap the spinach in a clean tea towel and twist until completely dry. This keeps the filling rich and creamy, not watery.
✨ Make the Sauce Ahead: The homemade red sauce can be prepared up to 2 days in advance or frozen for later. In a pinch, your favorite jarred sauce will work just fine.
✨ Let It Rest: Give your cannelloni at least 15 minutes to set after baking. The sauce thickens, the filling firms up, and slicing becomes effortless.
✨ Upgrade Moment: For the ultimate flavor boost, use my Sunday Gravy as your sauce base — it adds that slow-cooked, soul-satisfying Italian depth.
Cannelloni Ingredients + Key Notes
This is just a quick glance at what you’ll need. For exact measurements and the full ingredient list, head down to the recipe card below.
Olive Oil, Onion, Garlic, and Carrot: The foundation of a classic Italian red sauce! The carrot adds natural sweetness and balance to the acidity of the tomatoes — a timeless trick used in real Italian kitchens.
Crushed Tomatoes: Two large cans create the heart of the sauce. Look for high-quality brands like San Marzano for a smoother, richer texture.
Italian Seasoning, Salt & Pepper: Simple, balanced seasoning is all you need to make this sauce shine. Toasting the spices as they cook in the oil unlocks deeper, aromatic flavor.
Ricotta Cheese: Provides creaminess and body. Use whole milk ricotta for the best texture — it holds up beautifully during baking.
Mozzarella & Parmesan: The dream duo for any baked pasta. Mozzarella melts perfectly while parmesan adds salty depth.
Spinach: Adds color, flavor, and a touch of freshness. Be sure it’s fully drained and squeezed dry — excess water can make your filling loose.
Eggs: Bind the cheese filling so it stays creamy but stable as it bakes.
No-Boil Lasagna Noodles (Barilla): The brilliant shortcut! These soften just enough after a quick dip in boiling water to roll like fresh pasta — eliminating the headache of traditional cannelloni tubes.
⭐ Pro Tips
⭐ Toast Your Spices: When making the sauce, cook the Italian seasoning in the olive oil before adding tomatoes. This simple step deepens the flavor beautifully.
⭐ Don’t Overfill: About ¼ cup of filling per noodle is perfect — enough to feel generous without bursting out the sides.
⭐ Layer Strategically: Spread a thin layer of sauce in the baking dish before adding the rolls. It prevents sticking and infuses flavor from the bottom up.
⭐ Rest Time Matters: Letting the baked cannelloni sit for 15 minutes helps the sauce thicken and makes cutting much neater.
⭐ Time Saver: Double the sauce recipe and freeze half — you’ll have a ready-made base for your next Italian night!
🍝 The Genius Technique: How to Make Cannelloni
Here’s a quick look at how to assemble this easy Cannelloni recipe (full instructions in the recipe card below).
Start by simmering your homemade sauce until thick and rich — it’s the soul of the dish. While it bubbles away, mix up the creamy ricotta filling with spinach, mozzarella, parmesan, and eggs.
Next comes the magic: instead of fiddling with narrow pasta tubes, you’ll use parboiled no-boil lasagna sheets. Lay them out on towels, spread a generous layer of filling, then roll them up like little pasta scrolls. Place seam-side down in a saucy baking dish, top with more sauce and cheese, cover, and bake until bubbly.
Once baked, uncover, sprinkle the final layer of mozzarella, and broil until golden brown. Let it rest — patience pays off here — then serve up those gorgeous, cheesy rolls of Italian comfort.
✦ Frequently Asked Questions
✦ Can I use fresh lasagna sheets instead of no-boil?
Yes! Fresh pasta sheets work beautifully — just skip the parboiling step and roll them right up with the filling.
✦ Can I prepare this ahead of time?
Absolutely. Assemble the cannelloni a day ahead, cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate. Bake just before serving, adding 10–15 minutes to the cook time.
✦ Can I freeze cannelloni?
Yes, both baked and unbaked versions freeze well! Wrap tightly, freeze up to 2 months, and bake (or reheat) from frozen at 350°F until heated through.
✦ What’s the best sauce to serve with this?
While the homemade tomato sauce in this recipe is delicious, using my Sunday Gravy takes it to restaurant-level perfection.
Still have questions? Drop them in the comments — I love helping you cook with confidence! 💗
Storing + Reheating + Freezing + Make-Ahead Tips
Storing
- Cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheating
- Cover with foil and warm in a 350°F oven for 15–20 minutes. If reheating single portions, use the microwave at medium power to keep the filling creamy.
Freezing
- Freeze baked or unbaked cannelloni tightly wrapped in foil and plastic wrap for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking or reheating.
Make-Ahead
- Assemble up to 24 hours in advance, refrigerate, then bake when ready. Perfect for entertaining or Sunday meal prep!
What to Serve With Cannelloni
Fresh + Crisp Sides:
A simple House Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Arugula Salad, or Mediterranean Salad makes a refreshing complement to the rich pasta.
Cozy Breads:
Serve with Practically No Knead Bread, Garlic Bread, or copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks for soaking up every drop of sauce.
Sweet Finishes:
Round out your Italian meal with a classic Tiramisu, Strawberry White Chocolate Tart, Italian Christmas Cookies, or Amaretti Cookies for dessert bliss.
More Yummy Baked Pasta
- Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno
- Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
- Baked Ziti With Italian Sausage
- Mostaccioli
- Baked Spaghetti
- Spaghetti Pie
- Baked Rigatoni
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Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today — happy cooking, friends! 💗 Kathleen
Cannelloni Recipe
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1/4 cup carrot finely grated
- 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes including all the liquid
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Filling:
- 1 pound ricotta cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 cups Mozzarella shredded
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Pasta:
- 16 ounces Barilla No Boil Lasagna Noodles
Topping:
- 2 cups Mozzarella shredded
Instructions
Make the Sauce:
- In a large skillet, heat the oil (1/4 cup) over medium heat. Add the onion (1) and garlic (1 tablespoon) and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened about 10 minutes. Add the carrot (1/4 cup) and continue to cook, until softened about 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes (2 cans), Italian seasoning (1 tablespoon), salt (1/2 teaspoon), and pepper (1/4 teaspoon) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until sauce thickens about 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Using a stick blender, smooth out the sauce.
Make the Filling:
- Combine all filling ingredients in a medium mixing bowl; set aside
For the Pasta:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Lay out 2 clean kitchen towels on counter.
- Drop pasta sheets (16 ounces) into boiling water and move them around with tongs, so they don't stick together. Remove as soon as they just become pliable and lay in a single layer onto towels.
Assembly:
- Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Spread about 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9 X13 inch baking dish.
- With the short side of the pasta sheet facing you, spread a heaping 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture onto the bottom three-quarters of each pasta sheet. (leave the top quarter with no filling). Roll up and place seem side down in the baking pan.
- Top with remaining sauce. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake until heated through and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle top with remaining 2 cups mozzarella. Broil until cheese is melted and golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Lasagna noodles: (aka-secret ingredient!!) I use Barilla’s no-boil lasagna noodles instead of cannelloni noodles. Cannelloni noodles are simply tube-shaped pasta and can be temperamental to deal with once boiled. Instead of using a pastry bag and tip to fill the tubes, I simply scoop filling onto the parboiled lasagna noodles and then roll them up! Easy, peasy, and no frustrations! That’s the secret technique!
- Let it sit: I know it’s tough, but it’s super important to allow your cannelloni to rest for about 15 minutes after it comes out of the oven. It gives the sauce time to set up and makes it much easier to plate.
- The sauce- This sauce is super easy to make, but if you’re pressed for time, you can use your favorite prepared sauce. You’ll need about 2.5 24-ounce jars.
- Sunday Gravy: To take this recipe to a level of taste that’s virtually out of this stratosphere, make it with my homemade Sunday Gravy. Whenever I make my Sunday Gravy, I ALWAYS make a huge pot so I can stick some away in the freezer for use whenever I want a red sauce that brings that extra level of flavor that nothing else can bring!
- Spinach- To achieve the correct consistency for the filling, you’ll need to squeeze every bit of moisture out of the spinach that you can. With the tea towel method, put your thawed spinach in a cotton tea towel after letting it drain in a colander. Draw the towel around the spinach and twist until no more juice comes out.
Nutrition
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Perhaps others have left this tip. I use uncooked cannelloni OR sometimes manicotti pasta which is also roundish but bigger than cannelloni, . when filling the noodles – they are quite stiff enough to handle the gentle filling process, BUT…
The crucial part when using round dry pasta is to *completely* cover the pasta with the tomato sauce before cooking,, because it needs the moisture in the sauce to infuse the pasta and soften it, Been doing this all my life, works fine.
I also have always put meat in my cannelloni. I cook up hamburger, or sometimes hamburger/pork sausage half and half, and it becomes part of the filling. Can’t imagine it without the meat.
This looks fantastic. I use No Boil noodles often but I have a question. Do you boil them a bit? I don’t think the noodles right out of the package are soft enough to roll.
Thanks for your help! and for the wonderful recipe!
Hi Cathy. You’re 100% right. Here’s what you do:
Drop pasta sheets (16 ounces) into boiling water and move them around with tongs, so they don’t stick together. Remove as soon as they just become pliable and lay in a single layer onto towels.
Love this recipe. So cheesy!
Thanks, Jo! We love it too.
The picture looks like cannelloni but you used lasagna noodles?
Yes, no boil lasagna noodles.
I made this last night and my family loved it. The recipe made a lot. I filled a 9×13 pan and a small pan. That made me happy so we have some leftovers. This is a keeper. Thanks
Hi Dianne!
I’m so glad the family shares my love for this cheesy decadence! It does make a lot but leftovers can be a good thing. Thanks for sharing!
5000 calories?? Is that a typo?
Hi Beverly. Holy Cow! I sure hope it’s a typo. I’ll run the nutrition program again and update the recipe. I bet the calories are for the entire recipe and not individual servings <3