Have you ever tasted the Puerto Rican Canelones? These are the Puerto Rican version of the Italian cannelloni stuffed with flavorful beef. The best part is that you can make, freeze, and enjoy later!
My grandma loved it when I used to make these Puerto Rican Canelones! So I have a lot of practice and tips for you.
These are almost like eating a white sauce lasagna. The only difference is that the canelones are made with a red sauce instead of the white sauce bechamel.
When this dish is traditionally eaten in Puerto Rico, it is usually served with the traditional Puerto Rican white rice recipe, like almost every pasta dish. But I like to serve it with bread with garlic.
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Recipe Ingredients
- Onion- I used white onion, but you can use yellow or red onion. Other great additions are any type of peppers. Mushrooms are also a great addition.
- Puerto Rican cooking base- As with almost all savory Puerto Rican recipes, we use sofrito, adobo to season, and sazón mix. This will be the base flavor for the meat. We also added crushed oregano.
- Ground beef- I used 80-20 beef. I like using a higher percentage of fat because I like the flavor and how the meat cooks with the higher fat content. Then all I do is strain the meat.
- Water- I like to add water so I can break apart the meat more easily.
- Cannelloni- You can find 2 types. One is the large manicotti that has texture all around. Then there are the small, skinnier, smooth version.
- Cheese- I used mozzarella, but in reality, I tend to use the cheese I have in my fridge. Use your favorite type of cheese.
How to Make Puerto Rican Canelones
- Photo 1: First, chop the onion into small cubes. Don’t worry about the size because the onion will get tender and will be easy to stuff the canelones.
- Photo 2: In a large pan over high heat, add the oil. Let it get hot and add your onion to cook for 2 minutes. You just need to saute the onion.
- Photo 3: Add the sofrito and tomato sauce, so this can saute also for 2 minutes.
- Photo 4: Add the meat, all the seasonings, and water. Break the meat apart while you cook for 10 minutes.
- Photo 5: After the meat is cooked, strain and let it cool. This is done to remove all the extra fat.
- Photo 6: To save time, we cook the pasta while the meat cooks. Make sure to salt your water, and once it is boiling, add the pasta. Cook for only 5 minutes and quickly rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Photo 7: Carefully stuff each cannelloni with 3 tablespoons of the meat.
- Photo 8: Add the pasta sauce to the mold you’re going to bake the canelones in. Add all the stuffed canelones and sprinkle the cheese on top.
Recipe Tips
- Pasta. I usually count that I am making 12 individual cannellonis. This is because most of the time, one or two break. So add the whole box to cook, but count on at least 1 of them to break.
- Meat. This recipe is made with ground beef, but it can be stuffed with your favorite protein option.
- Cheese. You can mix the cheese in the meat. You can add cream cheese, mozzarella, or cheddar. This will make the meat creamier. If you have any, grate some parmesan cheese on top of the canelones.
- Make ahead. The best part is that this is a recipe that can be prepared and frozen. Make the canelones, freeze them, and then bake when ready to serve.
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Puerto Rican Style Canelones
These beef canelones are a delicious meal that you can meal prep and finish when ready. The perfect dish for the whole family.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon salt (for boiling pasta)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ onion
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons sofrito
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 ½ teaspoon sazon
- 1 ½ teaspoon adobo
- 1 teaspoon crushed oregano
- ½ cup water (+ more for cooking pasta)
- 8 ounces cannelloni (14 pieces or 1 box)
- 2 cups pasta sauce
- 2 cups grated mozarella cheese
Instructions
Prepare the meat
- Chop the onion into small cubes. In a medium size pan over high heat, add the oil. Once the pan is hot, add the onion and saute for 2 minutes while stirring.
- Add the tomato paste, sofrito, and saute for 2 minutes while stirring. Add the meat, sazon, adobo, oregano, and ½ cup of water. Break down the meat while it cooks. Finish cooking for 10 minutes. Once the meat is cooked, strain and let it cool.
Prepare the pasta
- While the meat cooks, prepare the pasta. In a big stockpot over high heat, add water and salt. Once the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook for only 5 minutes*. Then quickly strain the pasta and run it under cold water until the pasta is cold to the touch.
Assemble the canelones
- Fill each cannelloni with about 3 tablespoons of the meat filling. Repeat the process until you have filled them all.
- Pre-heat your oven to 400°F.
- Add all of the pasta sauce to the bottom of a baking pan. Lay each cannelloni on your pan and sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Bake covered for 10 minutes. Uncover and finish cooking for 10 minutes. Serve hot, buen provecho.
Recipe Notes
- Sauce- This is a red sauce recipe, but you can use a white sauce. My favorite is the cream cheese béchamel.
- Pasta- Depending on the manicotti pasta that you get, you can add more or less of the filling. I got the ones with texture on top, which are pretty big. But if you buy the ones that are skinny and smooth on top, you’ll need less filling.
- Meat filling- I used about 3 tablespoons of filling per cannelloni, and they get stuffed from end to end, but you can get away with adding a little bit more of the meat filling. You can also change the filling. This shredded chicken is a good option.
- Serving size- I serve 2 cannelloni per person. So the recipe can yield more or less, depending on how you serve it.
- Freezing- You can freeze the canelones. Just stuff them and store them in a freezer bag or an airtight container. Then, when ready to enjoy, you can assemble them in a baking tray.
Nutrition
Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 826mg | Potassium: 444mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 519IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 221mg | Iron: 3mg
*The nutrition information is automatically calculated, so this is only an approximation.
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