This is my version of a classic baked Cannelloni: comfort food at its absolute finest, featuring tender sheets of pasta wrapped around a savory, iron-rich spinach and smoky bacon filling, all baked under a luxurious blanket of crème fraîche and rich Swiss Gruyère cheese. Instead of making a complicated, time-consuming béchamel sauce from scratch, we use an incredible shortcut by combining crème fraîche with melted cheese. It creates a velvety, bubbling crust that locks in all the moisture without any of the extra stovetop fuss.
Gather all the Ingredients and Preheat your oven to 200°C convection.
Start by prepping your ingredients so your assembly line runs smoothly. Finely chop your onion, mince the 3 garlic cloves, and set your 300g of spinach aside. Open your can of pelati and drain the liquid completely into a small bowl—keep that juice! Take the solid tomato pieces out and chop them up into small chunks. Grate your 130g of Gruyère cheese and separate it into two equal piles.
Heat a tiny teaspoon of olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat and drop in the 150g of bacon cubes. Let the bacon fry until it’s beautifully crisp and has rendered out its rich, smoky fat. Toss your chopped onion and minced garlic directly into that hot bacon fat, cooking for a few minutes until soft and fragrant. Pile the 300g of spinach into the pan, letting it wilt down completely into the savory mixture before removing the skillet from the heat. Stir your chopped tomato pieces and half of your grated Gruyère cheese directly into the warm spinach and bacon mixture, seasoning it to taste with salt and pepper.
Next, prepare your sauces and pasta. In the bowl with your reserved canned tomato juice, stir in a generous pinch of salt, black pepper, and dried oregano. Pour this quick, aromatic tomato sauce directly into the bottom of your baking tray to create a non-stick, flavorful bed for your pasta. In a separate small bowl, thoroughly mix your remaining half of the grated cheese with the 200g of crème fraîche.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Drop your 12 lasagna sheets in and cook them for just a few minutes until they are flexible and pliable—do not overcook them here, as they will finish baking in the oven! Lay a pliable pasta sheet flat, spoon a generous log of the spinach and bacon mixture along the edge, roll it up snugly, and place it seam-side down into the tomato sauce in your baking tray. Repeat for all 12 sheets. Spread your smooth crème fraîche and cheese mixture evenly across the top of the pasta rolls. Pop the tray into the bottom half of your oven at 200°C convection (Umluft) and bake until the top is golden, bubbling, and beautifully crusted. Serve hot!
Creamy Spinach & Bacon Cannelloni Recipe Card
Ingredients
The Savory Filling
- 150 g bacon cubes
- 1 tsp olive oil or neutral cooking oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 300 g fresh spinach (or frozen, thawed and squeezed dry)
- 1 can pelati (whole peeled tomatoes), drained and solids chopped
- 65 g Gruyère cheese, grated (half of total)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
The Aromatic Sauce Base
- Reserved tomato juice from the pelati can
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Salt and black pepper to taste
The Creamy Topping & Pasta
- 12 dried lasagna sheets
- 200 g crème fraîche
- 65 g Gruyère cheese, grated (remaining half)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Fry Bacon: Preheat your oven to 200°C convection (Umluft). Heat the cooking oil in a wide skillet over medium heat, add the bacon cubes, and fry until beautifully crispy. Stir in the chopped onion and minced garlic, cooking until translucent and fragrant.
- Wilt the Spinach: Add the spinach to the skillet. Cook until completely wilted and down-sized, then remove the pan from the heat source.
- Bind the Filling: Drain the solid tomato pieces from the pelati can, chop them up, and add them to the warm spinach mixture. Stir in half of your grated Gruyère cheese (65g), and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Season the Base Sauce: Take the remaining tomato juice left over from the pelati can and season it with salt, pepper, and dried oregano. Pour this seasoned juice directly into the bottom of your baking tray.
- Prep the Topping: In a small bowl, thoroughly mix the remaining half of your grated Gruyère cheese with the 200g of crème fraîche until smooth.
- Soften the Pasta: Boil your 12 lasagna sheets in a large pot of salted water just until they are flexible and easy to move, then drain carefully.
- Roll and Assemble: Lay a lasagna sheet flat. Add a generous portion of the spinach filling along the edge, roll it up tightly, and place it seam-side down into the baking tray on top of the tomato sauce. Repeat for all 12 rolls.
- Bake to Perfection: Spread the cheesy crème fraîche mixture evenly over the top of the rolled pasta. Bake in the bottom half of the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until the top is deeply golden, bubbling, and crispy.
Notes
Tips for Success
- The Squeeze Technique – If you are using frozen spinach instead of fresh, make sure to thaw it completely and squeeze out every single drop of excess water using a clean kitchen towel before throwing it into the pan. Leftover water will turn your filling runny and make the cannelloni soggy!
- Don’t Overcook the Sheets – You only want to boil the lasagna sheets until they lose their stiffness and can roll up without cracking. If you cook them all the way to al dente on the stove, they will become overly mushy and structurally collapse while baking in the oven.
- The Bottom Rack Rule – Baking this dish in the bottom half of the oven is a great trick. It ensures the pasta sheets on the bottom absorb the tomato sauce and cook through perfectly, while preventing the delicate crème fraîche on top from browning too quickly before the center is hot.
- Gruyère Alternatives – If you can’t find Swiss Gruyère at your local grocery store, you can easily swap it out for a good quality mature Cheddar, Fontina, or Comté cheese to keep that rich, sharp, and stringy melt.
Why You’ll Love This Dish
High Protein Category Champion – Delivering a massive 26.1g of premium protein per serving, making it an incredibly filling and muscle-supporting comforting meal.
Smart Zero-Waste Method – Utilizing both the solids and liquids of a single can of tomatoes for two completely different layers of the dish keeps clean-up easy and costs low.
Luxurious No-Fuss Crust – Bypassing a traditional flour-and-butter béchamel sauce in favor of a crème fraîche blend gives you a richer, tangier, and much faster gourmet topping.
Perfect Make-Ahead Meal – You can roll and assemble the entire baking tray the morning before, cover it with foil, keep it in the fridge, and simply pop it into the oven whenever you are ready for dinner.
