Baked Beef and Spinach Cannelloni with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large skillet, sauté the onion in olive oil until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the thawed and squeezed dry spinach and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the water has evaporated and the spinach starts to stick to the pan. Transfer the spinach mixture to a large bowl.

2. 2

   In the same skillet, brown the ground beef and drain any excess fat. Add the browned beef to the spinach mixture. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, heavy cream, beaten eggs, oregano, salt, and pepper until well combined.

3. 3

   Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package instructions, then drain and cut each noodle in half widthwise. Spread the noodles out on a large piece of foil. Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling at one end of each noodle and roll up.

4. 4

   Pour about 1 cup of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish. Arrange the rolled cannelloni seam-side down in the dish, placing two rolls vertically on both sides and the remaining rolls in four rows of three.

5. 5

   In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth, then gradually add the milk and heavy cream. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. 6

   Spread the creamy sauce over the cannelloni, then top with the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle the top with the additional Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.