Vegan cannelloni with a flavoursome filling made with white wine, mushroom and a secret ingredient, and covered with my vegan bean bechamel.
Hola!
Today I bring you a family recipe for the most decadent cannelloni filling. I called them vegan creamy cannelloni because of how rich they feel. It’s an umami injection of flavour powered by tomatoes, white wine and mushrooms. Plus, a secret ingredient (or two) that makes it different from any other recipes you have read before. Wanna know what it is? Keep reading!
PLANT POWER, MAKE UP!
If you have read other posts on this blog, you would have known by now that I don’t only veganise recipes, I like making them healthier. This was the main reason to make my vegan bean bechamel sauce: added fibre and nutrients that become invisible to the naked eye. The vegan cheese is an extra, but if you want to make them healthier you can always skip it, add breadcrumbs or nothing instead and just put them under the grill “naked”.
Regarding the filling, I’ve seen recipes with mostly the same filling as a lasagne. Each family recipe is different, of course, but my iaia used to make cannelloni with a very creamy and smooth filling. Her secret was, and I only found out recently, pâté! She added one or two tins and mixed it with the minced meat. Needless to say, we’re skipping the meat and the dairy, so you have two options; you can buy a vegan pâté, or you can follow my recipe below, where I replaced the pâté by cashew nuts, mushrooms and nutritional yeast. The result exceeded my expectations. And although the fat content is high, at least it comes from nuts and healthier sources. And, at the end of the day, cannelloni are indulgent. Nobody would fill cannelloni with salad, right? You can serve them with a generous garnish to make it up. Crispy air-fried kale goes great as a side.
VEGAN CREAMY CANNELLONI
Serves: 4-5 people
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Cannelloni filling
20g dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup cashew nuts
1 medium onion, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 ripe tomatoes, grated pulp
1 tsp. brown sugar
500g vegan mince
1 cup white wine
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
Vegan bean bechamel sauce
4 cups unsweetened soya milk
2x 400g canned butter beans, drained
1 veggie stock cube
1/2 tsp. garlic granules
1/2 tsp. onion granules
2 tbsp. cornflour
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
250g cannelloni pasta (rolled)
Vegan grated cheese or breadcrumbs (or both, like I did)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Soak the dried porcini and cashew nuts in boiling water for 30 minutes. Fry the onion and celery, at a medium-high heat with some olive oil spray until soft, and season with salt and pepper.
- Push the veg to the sides, spray some oil in the centre of the pan, add the tomatoes pulp, garlic and brown sugar, and cook until fragrant (about 5 minutes). Add the vegan mince, white wine and soy sauce and stir for 5 minutes until the mince is cooked.
- Blend the porcini mushrooms and cashew nuts with the nutritional yeast and a bit of the soaking water. Add the blend to the frying pan and keep cooking until thick (5 minutes). Let the mixture cool down slightly before putting it into a piping bag.
- In the meantime, prepare the bechamel by mixing all ingredients in a saucepan at medium-high heat, blend and simmer until thick, stirring continuously.
- Preheat the oven at 200°C and turn the grill on. Spread one ladle spoon of bechamel on the bottom of casserole dish. Fill the cannelloni with the piping bag mixture and put them in the dish over the bechamel. Top with the remaining bechamel and add the vegan grated cheese or breadcrumbs on top.
- Grill for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese melts or the breadcrumbs become golden. Serve with garnish or salad. I microwaved some curly kale with garlic granules, salt and pepper.
You can keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze them.
Bon profit!