Cannelloni with Ground Meat and Béchamel Sauce

Ingredients

For the Cannelloni

• 24 cannelloni tubes

For the Meat Filling

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 500 g ground beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1–2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 small coffee cup of wine
• 400 g diced tomatoes
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt
• Pepper

For the Béchamel Sauce

• 1 liter milk
• 4 tablespoons corn flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Grated nutmeg, to taste
• 200 g grated cheese of your choice
• 1 egg (optional)

For the Tomato Sauce

• 3–4 tablespoons oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 400 g diced tomatoes
• Salt
• Pepper

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Instructions

For the Meat Filling

1. In a pot, sauté the ground beef in oil for 6–7 minutes until browned.
2. Add the onion, garlic, and carrot, and sauté for an additional 3–4 minutes until softened.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, cooking for 2 minutes, then add the cinnamon stick and bay leaf.
4. Deglaze with wine, add the diced tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and let it simmer for 25–30 minutes, allowing the liquid to reduce.
5. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf when cooking is complete. Once the meat filling has cooled, stuff each cannelloni tube with the filling using a small spoon.

For the Béchamel Sauce

1. In a pot, add the milk, corn flour, and butter (excluding the cheese and egg). Stir constantly with a whisk over low heat until the béchamel thickens, seasoning with salt and pepper.
2. Add the nutmeg, then stir in the egg and grated cheese, whisking until melted.