Cheese Canneloni is an easy, cheesy vegetarian dinner that takes just 15 minutes to prepare. Cannelloni pasta is stuffed with a flavorful ricotta and Parmesan cheese filling, topped with marinara and Mozzarella, and baked until hot and bubbly!
Enjoy more of my favorite baked pasta recipes like Rigatoni Pasta Bake, Three Cheese Gnocchi and Lasagna Roll Ups.
Table of Contents
There’s never a day I don’t feel like curling up with a plate of cheese cannelloni, especially if they’re made with three cheeses! It’s made with three different kinds of Italian cheese: ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella.
This cannelloni recipe is the best blend of simple and delicious — we keep it simple with oven-ready noodles but step up the flavor with three incredible cheeses to really make every bite seriously satisfying!
Why we love this Cannelloni Recipe:
- Great make ahead recipe: You can prepare cheese cannelloni up to a day in advance! To do so assemble as directed, then cover and store in the fridge until ready to bake.
- Easy to prep: It only takes about 15 minutes or so to toss everything into the baking dish.
- Simple ingredients: You should be able to easily find everything you need at your local grocery store without breaking the bank.
- Freezer friendly: You can freeze this cannelloni before or after it’s baked! Scroll down for more info.
Cheese Cannelloni Ingredients:
- Marinara Sauce: I usually stick to jarred sauce to keep this recipe simple but you can definitely use your favorite homemade version if you’d rather.
- Cannelloni Pasta: You’ll need oven-ready cannelloni so all you have to do is stuff and bake. No boiling required!
- Ricotta: Ricotta is unbelievably smooth and creamy! I love what it does to this cheese cannelloni recipe.
- Frozen Spinach: Make sure you thaw and dry the spinach before adding it so the filling doesn’t end up watery. If all you have is fresh, chop it fine and cook it down before adding to the filling.
- Parmesan: Packs a ton of flavor with just a small amount!
- Egg: Binds the filling ingredients together.
- Salt, Dried Parsley, Dried Basil, Dried Oregano, and Black Pepper: A savory, earthy seasoning to add just the right amount of flavor to the filling.
- Water: Oven-ready noodles can be a little bit dry so I like to add a splash of water to the sauce to give a little extra moisture.
- Mozzarella: Sliced or shredded on top of the pasta bake for that cheesy, gooey finish.
How to make Cannelloni:
You’ll love how easy this recipe is to toss together! Scroll down to the recipe card to see exact ingredient measurements and more detailed instructions.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together Ricotta, spinach, ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, egg, salt, parsley, basil, oregano, and pepper.
- Fill each cannelloni with filling. Use a piping bag or zip-top bag with a corner cut off to do this.
- Spread marinara sauce on the bottom of a baking dish.
- Layer the cannelloni on the marinara sauce.
- Cover with mozzarella and remaining parmesan cheese. Cover and bake until pasta is tender.
Variations and Tips
- Use oven-ready noodles: Oven-ready noodles keep this recipe super quick and simple. No boiling necessary!
- Use a piping bag: Trust me. You can try to spoon the filling into the pasta, but it is so much more difficult than it needs to be. Instead, put the filling in a piping bag or Ziplock bag with the corner snipped off!
- Add protein: Up the protein by mixing in cooked Italian sausage, ground turkey, ground beef, or shredded chicken. If you’re adding chicken, check out my Crockpot Shredded Chicken or Instant Pot Shredded Chicken.
- Add veggies: You can mix in whatever veggies you like to give this pasta dinner a boost of nutrition. Try it with mushrooms, zucchini, onions, carrots, peppers, etc. I recommend pre-cooking the veggies to cook out the moisture.
How to Store Cannelloni
Baked cheese cannelloni will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days.
To reheat, add a splash of water or broth and bake or microwave until heated all the way through.
Can I freeze Cannelloni?
Yes! Cannelloni can be frozen before or after baking.
If you are making a fresh pan with the intent of putting it in the freezer, I would freeze before baking.
Cooked pasta that is frozen and thawed is still delicious, but it is much softer than fresh and the texture may not be as appealing.
To warm frozen pasta, thaw in the fridge overnight if possible or at room temperature for several hours, then cover and heat at 350°F until heated through.
If you have to bake from frozen, put them pan in the oven and then turn on the oven to heat. This way, the pan will warm up slowly. Keep in mind in can take up to 2 hours to heat a frozen pasta dish.
What is the easiest way to fill cannelloni?
The best way to fill cannelloni is to use a piping bag. It makes it so much easier to get the filling into the pasta tubes.
If you don’t have a piping bag, you can make your own using a Ziplock bag. Just scoop the filling into a large bag and snip off one of the corners!
Serving suggestions:
This cheese cannelloni is delicious next to a simple side salad, a pile of Roasted Green Beans or steamed veggies, or a crusty slice of Garlic Bread!
More Vegetarian Recipes You’ll Love
Make meatless Monday the best night of the week with these easy recipes:
- Three Cheese Manicotti — another cheesy, make ahead pasta!
- One Pot Pasta Primavera
- Potato Corn Chowder — thick and creamy!
- Vegetable Lo Mein — better than takeout.
Cheese Cannelloni recipe
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 3½ cups marinara sauce (divided)
- ⅓ cup water
- 125 grams oven ready cannelloni pasta (12 noodles)
- 475 grams Ricotta (about 2 cups)
- 225 grams frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (about ½ cup)
- ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese (divided)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups shredded Mozzarella (about 210 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9×13" baking dish. Combine marinara sauce with water and spread 2 cups marinara sauce in the bottom of the pan.
- Stir together the Ricotta, spinach, ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, egg, salt, parsley, basil, oregano and pepper. Place in a piping bag or large ziploc bag and snip the end off.
- Squeeze the Ricotta mixture evenly into cannelloni shells and place in prepared pan, leaving a space in between each one as they will expand.
- Pour remaining sauce over cannelloni shells in pan and top with shredded Mozzarella, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Cover with lightly greased foil (this helps to keep the cheese from sticking) and bake for 30-40 minutes or until pasta is tender (don't overbake!) and cheese is melted.
- Uncover and continue baking until cheese is lightly browned. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Mary says
Bought from Costco the oliveri cannelloni fresh ricotta and spinach..put the sauce over and cheese..with a green salad done. Very delicious
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, Mary! Thank you!
Beth says
I can’t find oven ready cannelloni noodles. How can I substitute with regular cannelloni noodles?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Beth, you’ll need to boil cool the cannelloni noodles before you fill them. Next, you can leave the water out of the marinara sauce. Third you’ll bake till bubbly and warm. Let us know how it goes if you decide to experiment!
Beth says
Thank you for the tips! I tried it with the noodles that were not the oven ready noodles. I used your suggestions and it was delicious! I prepared the night before. I took them out of the fridge about 30 minutes prior to baking, then baked covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for 10 minutes. Loved them!
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Beth!
Jenny says
Wondering if you can use frozen creamed spinach instead of just frozen? Or will that be too creamy of a texture? Thank you will make this recipe soon regardless! Looks so yummy!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jenny, I think it would make it too watery. You need the spinach to be dry, but you could give it a try and see how it goes. Let me know if you do!
Vicki says
Question…..can you substitute fresh mozzarella for the buffalo mozzarella, and what is grana pandano cheese? I’ve never heard of either of them, but am not willing to pay $45.00 to have the buffalo mozzarella delivered with amazon. This looks so good, I’d like to try it, but would need to do some substituting, I think!