Cannelloni of Braised Veal, Mortadella & Ricotta with Parmigiano Besciamella and Salsa Pomodoro
An Emilian-leaning baked cannelloni built on fresh, laminated egg pasta. The filling is slow-braised veal shoulder, blitzed with mortadella and strained ricotta and bound with its own reduced braising liquid. Baked between a bright San Marzano pomodoro and a loose Parmigiano besciamella, then finished with the reduced braising jus and fried sage.
Yield note: Makes 18 cannelloni — serves 6 (3 each). The braise and pasta dough both yield slightly more than needed; leftover jus freezes well.
Components
- Brasato (Braised Veal)
- Ricotta
- The Filling
- Egg Pasta Sheets
- Salsa Pomodoro
- Parmigiano Besciamella
- Assembly, Bake & Plating
1. Brasato (Braised Veal)
| Ingredient |
Quantity |
| Veal shoulder, 5 cm pieces (or pork shoulder) |
1.2 kg |
| Fine sea salt |
14 g (~1.2% of meat weight) |
| Neutral oil (sunflower) |
30 g |
| Yellow onion, roughly chopped |
150 g |
| Carrot, roughly chopped |
75 g |
| Celery (stalks + leaves), roughly chopped |
75 g |
| Extra virgin olive oil |
60 g |
| Dry white wine |
250 ml |
| Chicken or veal stock, hot |
600 ml |
| Parmigiano Reggiano rinds |
100 g, tied in cheesecloth |
| Bay leaf |
2 |
| Sage |
4 leaves |
Method
- The night before: salt the veal evenly and refrigerate uncovered on a rack. Dry surface browns; wet surface steams.
- Blend the onion, carrot, celery and EVOO until fully smooth and emulsified.
- Heat the oven to 150°C. In a heavy casserole over high heat, brown the veal in the neutral oil in batches — deep color on at least two sides. Don’t crowd the pan. Remove and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium, add the blended soffritto to the fond and cook for ~10 minutes, scraping, until the raw edge is gone and it has deepened in color.
- Add the wine and reduce until the pan is nearly dry.
- Return the veal and its juices. Add the hot stock, rinds, bay and sage — the liquid should come about two-thirds up the meat.
- Bring to a bare simmer, cover with a cartouche and lid, and braise in the oven for 2½–3 hours, turning once, until the meat collapses under a spoon.
- Lift out the meat and let it cool slightly. Discard the rinds, bay and sage.
- Pass the braising liquid through a fine sieve, skim the fat (reserve it), and reduce to ~200 ml of glossy, lightly syrupy jus.
Why veal shoulder? It’s lean enough to stay clean in a filling but has the connective tissue to braise into something soft and gelatinous. Pork shoulder works; the result is richer and slightly sweeter.
2. Ricotta
| Ingredient |
Quantity |
| Whole-milk ricotta (sheep’s milk if available) |
350 g (yields ~250 g) |
Method
- Line a sieve with cheesecloth, set over a bowl, and add the ricotta.
- Cover and drain in the fridge overnight.
Wet ricotta is the most common reason baked cannelloni turn watery and split. Draining overnight concentrates the flavor and gives the filling structure.
3. The Filling
| Ingredient |
Quantity |
| Braised veal (from above) |
~700 g cooked |
| Mortadella di Bologna IGP, diced |
150 g |
| Strained ricotta (from above) |
250 g |
| Parmigiano Reggiano, 24-month, grated |
80 g |
| Egg yolks |
2 |
| Reduced jus (from above) |
60 ml |
| Lemon zest |
½ lemon |
| Nutmeg, freshly grated |
a pinch |
| Salt & black pepper |
to taste |
Method
- In a food processor, pulse the veal and mortadella until finely minced but not a paste — you want texture, not mousse.
- Transfer to a bowl. Fold in the ricotta, Parmigiano, yolks, jus, lemon zest and nutmeg until evenly combined.
- Taste and season. It should be slightly over-seasoned; the pasta and sauces will soften it.
- Transfer to a piping bag with a wide (1.5–2 cm) opening. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour — a cold filling pipes cleanly and rolls tighter.
Why mortadella? It adds sweetness, a fine-grained fat, and that unmistakable Bolognese perfume — the same role it plays in tortellini filling.
4. Egg Pasta Sheets
| Ingredient |
Weight |
| 00 flour |
300 g |
| Whole eggs, room temperature |
3 (~150 g) |
| Egg yolks, room temperature |
3 (~55 g) |
| Semolina |
for dusting |
Method
- Make a well with the flour, add the eggs and yolks, and incorporate with a fork until shaggy.
- Knead by hand for 8–10 minutes until smooth. Thumb test: it should spring back when pressed.
- Wrap tightly and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes minimum.
- Roll through a pasta machine, laminating on the early passes — fold the sheet in thirds and run it back through the widest setting two or three times.
- Continue rolling to the second thinnest setting.
- Cut into 10 × 12 cm rectangles — you need 18, plus a few spares.
- Blanch in well-salted boiling water for 30 seconds, then transfer to ice water with a splash of olive oil.
- Drain and lay flat on a lightly oiled tray, separated by parchment.
Fresh sheets make cannelloni that are tender and almost silky — a different dish from dried tubes. Don’t skip the blanch: raw sheets won’t cook through under the sauce before the top overcooks.
5. Salsa Pomodoro
| Ingredient |
Quantity |
| San Marzano DOP tomatoes, whole |
800 g (2 tins) |
| Extra virgin olive oil |
40 g |
| Garlic, crushed |
2 cloves |
| Basil stems + a few leaves |
a small bunch |
| Fine sea salt |
to taste |
Method
- Pass the tomatoes through a food mill (or blend briefly and sieve).
- Warm the EVOO and garlic over low heat until fragrant; do not color.
- Add the tomatoes and basil stems. Simmer gently for 30 minutes.
- Remove the garlic and stems. Season. The sauce should be pourable, not thick.
6. Parmigiano Besciamella
| Ingredient |
Quantity |
| Whole milk |
750 ml |
| Bay leaf |
1 |
| Unsalted butter |
50 g |
| 00 flour |
50 g |
| Parmigiano Reggiano, grated |
60 g |
| Nutmeg |
a pinch |
| Salt |
to taste |
Method
- Warm the milk with the bay leaf until steaming. Infuse for 10 minutes, then remove the bay.
- Melt the butter, whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes without coloring.
- Add the hot milk gradually, whisking constantly. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until it coats a spoon.
- Off the heat, whisk in the Parmigiano and nutmeg. Season.
- Press cling film onto the surface to prevent a skin.
Keep it loose — closer to heavy cream than to lasagna besciamella. It thickens further in the oven, and you want it to blanket the cannelloni, not sit on them like paste.
7. Assembly, Bake & Plating
| Ingredient |
Quantity |
| Salsa pomodoro |
full batch |
| Blanched pasta sheets |
18 |
| Filling |
~55 g per roll |
| Parmigiano besciamella |
full batch |
| Parmigiano Reggiano, grated |
40 g |
| Unsalted butter, small cubes |
20 g |
| Reduced jus (from above) |
remaining |
| Sage leaves |
18 |
| Reserved braising fat or butter |
for frying |
| Finishing EVOO |
to finish |
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Spread about two-thirds of the pomodoro across a 23 × 33 cm baking dish.
- Lay a pasta sheet with the short edge toward you. Pipe a ~55 g log of filling along that edge.
- Roll firmly — about 1½ turns — and place seam-side down in the dish. Repeat, packing the rolls snugly in two rows.
- Spoon the besciamella over the center of each row, leaving the ends of the rolls exposed to the pomodoro beneath.
- Scatter over the Parmigiano and dot with butter.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes until the besciamella is blistered and golden in spots and the pomodoro is bubbling at the edges.
- Rest for 10 minutes. This lets the filling set so the rolls hold their shape when served.
- Meanwhile, fry the sage in the reserved braising fat or butter until crisp. Drain on paper. Warm the remaining jus and pomodoro separately.
- To plate: spoon a pool of warm pomodoro into a shallow bowl. Lift in 3 cannelloni. Spoon a little warm jus over the besciamella, top with fried sage, and finish with a thread of EVOO.
The jus is the finish. A spoonful of reduced braising liquid over the top ties the filling back to the plate — it’s what separates this from a good home bake.
Make-Ahead
The filling, pomodoro and jus all keep for 3 days refrigerated. The assembled, unbaked dish can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours; add 10 minutes to the bake and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes first.
Timing Overview
| Step |
Time |
| Salt veal & drain ricotta |
overnight |
| Brown veal & cook soffritto |
~40 min |
| Braise |
2½–3 hours |
| Reduce jus |
~20 min |
| Make filling & chill |
20 min + 1 hour |
| Make & rest pasta dough |
30 min rest + rolling |
| Pomodoro |
~35 min |
| Besciamella |
~25 min |
| Assemble |
~20 min |
| Bake & rest |
~35 min |