Tender, savory and slow cooked, beef brisket cannelloni is the kind of dish that fills a kitchen with warmth long before it reaches the table. Tubes of pasta wrap around meltingly soft braised beef, simmered in bright marinara and crowned with melted Grana Padano cheese. It's comfort with deep roots, made to be lingered over with good wine and better company.

A little history, the short version

Cannelloni is younger than you might think. Though Italians have stuffed pasta for centuries, the dish we know today, with its tender tubes filled, sauced, and baked, traces to around the turn of the twentieth century. As the story goes, a chef named Salvatore Coletta first served it to such delight that the church bells rang in celebration. The name comes from the Italian for "little reeds," a cousin in spirit to the Sicilian cannolo.

When Italian families carried their recipes to America in the early 1900s, most arriving through New York, the dish settled into the heart of Italian American cooking, often under the name manicotti. The brisket version is a newer, American flourish, but it honors an old instinct: take a humble, hardworking cut, coax it tender over low heat, and stretch it into a meal generous enough to share. That is a kitchen philosophy Sicily has always understood.

What it tastes like

This is a dish built on contrast. The brisket is deep and beefy, rich with the braising juices folded back into the meat. Grana Padano does double duty, nutty and savory inside the filling, golden and gently crisp on top. And our oregano marinara cuts clean through it all, its bright tomato and warm herb notes tasting of the Sicilian sun, keeping every bite balanced rather than heavy. A finishing drizzle of our organic extra virgin olive oil and a few torn basil leaves lift the whole plate. Silky pasta, soft beef, and bubbling edges where the sauce meets the cheese. It's the taste of an unhurried Sunday.

What to pour and serve alongside

Stay close to the source with a Sicilian red. A Nero d'Avola has the body to meet the brisket head on, while a lighter, more mineral Etna Rosso lets the dish lead. Set the richness against something green and a little bitter, like an escarole or radicchio salad dressed in lemon and good olive oil, or garlicky broccoli rabe. Keep crusty bread close for the sauce that pools on the plate. And if you'd like to close the loop, finish the meal the Sicilian way, with a few cannoli that return you to the little reed where this all began.

BEEF BRISKET CANNELLONI WITH OREGANO MARINARA & GRANA PADANO

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

▢2 1/2 lb beef brisket, cut into 2-inch chunks
▢ 8 tbsp Bona Furtuna Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
▢ 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
▢ 1 medium carrot, finely diced
▢ 1 celery stalk, finely diced
▢ 4 garlic cloves, minced
▢ 2 tbsp tomato paste
▢ 1 cup dry red wine
▢ 2 cups beef stock
▢ 2 bay leaves
▢ 4 fresh thyme sprigs
▢ 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
▢ 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
▢ 1 1/2 cups Grana Padano, finely grated
▢ 1 large egg
▢ 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
▢ 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
▢ 14 dried cannelloni tubes
▢ 3 cups Bona Furtuna Organic Oregano Marinara Sauce
▢ 8 fresh basil leaves, to finish

DIRECTIONS

For the filling:

1. Pat beef brisket dry and season all over with about half of the kosher salt and 1 tsp ground black pepper. Heat 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high until shimmering. Sear the brisket chunks in batches, turning, until deeply browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
2. Lower heat to medium. Add 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, then add the yellow onion, carrot, and celery stalk. Cook, stirring, until soft and golden. Stir in garlic and tomato paste and cook 8 minutes more until the paste darkens slightly.
3. Pour in dry red wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Simmer until reduced by half, then add the beef stock, bay leaves, and fresh thyme sprigs.
4. Return the brisket and any juices to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and braise in a 325°F oven until the meat shreds easily with a fork. Check at the 2 1/2-hour mark. Braise for about 3 hours total.
5. Lift out the brisket and let it cool slightly. Discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Simmer the braising liquid on the stovetop until thickened and glossy.
6. Shred the brisket finely, discarding any hard fat, then fold in just enough reduced liquid to make it moist but not wet.
7. Let the shredded brisket cool until just warm, about 15 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of Grana Padano, the egg, parsley, nutmeg, the remaining kosher salt and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. The mixture should hold together when pressed.

For the cannelloni:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook cannelloni tubes until just pliable but still firm, about 4–5 minutes. Drain and lay flat on a clean towel so they don't stick.
2. Spread 1 cup of oregano marinara across the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Transfer the brisket filling to a piping bag (or a zip-top bag with a corner snipped) and pipe filling into each tube. Nestle the filled tubes in a single layer over the sauce.
3. Spoon the remaining 3 cups of oregano marinara evenly over the cannelloni, covering the ends so they don't dry out. Scatter the remaining 1 1/2 cups Grana Padano over the top and drizzle lightly with 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
4. Bake uncovered at 375°F until the sauce is bubbling at the edges and the cheese is golden, about 30-35 minutes.
5. Let the dish rest so the filling sets and slices cleanly. Tear fresh basil leaves over the top just before serving.
6. Mangiamo.
   

FAQs

What is the difference between cannelloni and manicotti?

They are closely related baked pasta dishes. Cannelloni is the Italian original, traditionally made by rolling fresh pasta sheets around a filling. Manicotti is the Italian American counterpart, usually built from ridged, preformed tubes. The filling and the spirit are nearly identical. The difference is mostly in the pasta and the name.

What cut of beef is best for cannelloni filling?

Beef brisket is ideal. It is a tougher, richly marbled cut that turns meltingly tender after a long, slow braise, shredding beautifully into a rich filling. Chuck roast works well too if you would like a substitute.

Do you have to boil cannelloni tubes before baking?

With dried tubes, a quick par boil until just pliable helps them cook evenly and stay tender. If you use fresh pasta sheets, a brief blanch is all they need before rolling.

Can I make beef brisket cannelloni ahead of time?

Yes, and it is better for it. The brisket filling can be made up to two days ahead and actually pipes more neatly when chilled. You can assemble the whole dish a day in advance and bake it straight from the fridge, adding about ten minutes to the bake time.

Can I freeze cannelloni?

Absolutely. Assemble it unbaked, wrap it well, and freeze for up to three months. Bake from frozen, covered, until heated through and bubbling at the edges.

What wine pairs best with beef cannelloni?

A medium to full bodied red with good acidity. Sicilian Nero d'Avola or Etna Rosso are natural matches, and a Chianti made from Sangiovese echoes the tomato in the sauce.

BRING IT TO YOUR TABLE

A century and an ocean separate the ringing bells of Amalfi from a brisket braising slowly in your own kitchen, but the spirit is unchanged: good ingredients, unhurried time, and a meal made to be shared.