Recipe: Olive Garden Cannelloni al Forno

Olive Garden Cannelloni al Forno
Source: Cynthia Bee cloned this recipe

I absolutely love the Cannelloni al Forno at the Olive Garden. After searching in vain for the recipe, I finally came up with a close copy by combining several different recipes. This recipe is time intensive so is probably more appropriate for a dinner party or special weekend meal. I know it sounds weird to process the cooked meat in a blender, but that step is essential if you want to achieve the same smooth, tender texture found in the restaurant version.

Filling
1 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/3 cup diced carrot
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 pound ground veal
1 pound ground mild Italian style sausage
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/4 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh Pasta (highly recommended but could use
dried cannelloni tubes)
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water

Sauces
1 (16 ounce) jar high quality marinara sauce

1/2 pound Fontina cheese, grated
1/2 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet. Add onion, celery, and carrot, and cook over moderate heat until softened. Add the garlic, and cook 1 minute.

Add veal, pork, and chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is no longer pink. Drain excess liquid and grease thoroughly.

Add wine, and reduce for 1 minute. Stir in broth. Add herbs, bay leaf, and salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Uncover, and reduce until almost dry. Discard bay leaf. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan set over moderately low heat. Whisk in flour for approximately 2 minutes. Whisk in milk, grated nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in parsley and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

Transfer the cooled meat mixture to a large bowl. Mix in egg yolks. Mix in the cheese and parsley sauce. Set aside to cool.

In a medium size bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the flour, add the slightly beaten egg, and mix. Mixture should form a stiff dough. If needed, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3 to 4 minutes. With a pasta machine or by hand roll dough out to desired thickness (recommend the #5 thickness setting on hand-crank pasta machine). Use machine or knife to cut into 4- x 5-inch strips.

In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the noodles a few at a time until al dente. This should take only a minute or two with fresh pasta. Transfer to a bowl of cold water. Spread the noodles in one layer on paper towels to drain.

Place 1/3 of the cooled meat and parsley sauce mix into a blender or food processor. Pulse or blend until a smooth texture is achieved, about 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining mixture until all filling ingredients are processed.

Prepare Fontina Cheese Sauce by placing Fontina, cream, butter and Parmesan in a double boiler or a bowl in a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the cheeses have melted and the sauce is smooth and hot.

Cover bottom of 9 x 13-inch baking dish with 1/4 inch of marinara sauce. Spoon 1/4 cup of the filling down the center of one noodle, and roll the noodle to enclose the filing. Transfer the cannelloni, seam side down, to 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and filling, arranging in single layer. Ladle the remaining marinara sauce on one side of the cannelloni, leaving the other 1/2 of each tube without sauce. Spread the Fontina cheese sauce on the other 1/2 of the cannelloni and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 10 minutes, or until bubbling. Run under the broiler about 4 inches from the heat for 2 minutes, or until golden.

Estimated prep time: 2 1/2 hours

Servings: 6-8