Cannelloni substitute

Substitutes for Cannelloni with ratios

1. 2Manicotti tubes

   Close match

   1 tube for 1 tube

   The Italian-American version of the same pasta: large ridged tubes, usually a touch wider.

   What changes

   Best for

   ricotta filling, meat filling, tomato and bechamel bakes

   Effectively the same dish. The ridges hold a little more sauce on the outside so the finished bake looks more rustic, and the wider bore takes slightly more filling per tube, so you may need fewer tubes than the recipe says. Manicotti normally has to be boiled first, unlike most oven-ready cannelloni, so follow the box in front of you.

2. 3Fresh egg pasta sheets, rolled

   Different texture

   Use 1 sheet for every tube, trimmed to size

   Sheets of fresh pasta from the chiller cabinet, cut into rectangles and rolled.

   What changes

   Best for

   special occasion bakes, spinach and ricotta, delicate fillings

   The best-eating option on this list. Fresh egg pasta is thinner and far more tender than a dried tube, so the bake turns silky and the filling dominates in a good way. It needs no pre-cooking, but it also absorbs sauce fast, so use a thicker sauce, do not over-bake, and be aware the dish will not hold its shape as neatly when served.

3. 4Jumbo pasta shells (conchiglioni)

   Different texture

   Use 3 to 4 shells for every cannelloni tube

   Big cupped shells you can spoon filling into with no piping bag.

   What changes

   Best for

   ricotta filling, quick assembly, family meals

   Much quicker to assemble than tubes. Because the filling sits open to the air, the top of it browns and takes on colour under the grated cheese instead of steaming inside a casing, which gives a slightly more baked, cheesier flavour. There is less pasta per bite, so the dish tastes richer and more filling-forward than cannelloni.

4. 5Crespelle or thin savoury pancakes

   Different texture

   Use 1 pancake for every tube

   Thin unsweetened crepes rolled around the filling, the traditional version in parts of Italy.

   What changes

   Best for

   spinach and ricotta, dinner party dishes, very tender bakes

   Tender and eggy rather than chewy, so the dish becomes delicate and almost like a savoury layered pudding. Nothing needs boiling and nothing splits. They soak up sauce quickly, so keep the sauce on the thick side and bake them the same day you assemble, or the pancakes turn to mush.

5. 6Large rigatoni or paccheri stood upright

   Different texture

   Enough tubes to fill the dish, by volume

   Short wide tubes packed on end in the dish and piped full of filling.

   What changes

   Best for

   presentation, meat filling, make-ahead bakes

   The fiddliest option here but it does work and it looks impressive. Expect a much chewier dish with far more pasta relative to filling, and set aside a good twenty minutes for the piping. Undercook the tubes firmly so they stay upright rather than slumping, and pipe a soft, smooth filling; anything coarse will block the bag.