The best vegan cannelloni recipe with spinach, Bechamel, and a rich tomato sauce! Featuring simple ingredients, this meal is cheesy, savory and perfect for an impressive dinner.
Something that I could never say no to is a comforting, flavorful pasta dish, especially when it involves baking the pasta because it really gives it a magical finishing touch. And that's exactly why I love cannelloni!
Cannelloni are a cylindrical pasta variety that are typically prepared baked with a cheesy filling, and a tomato sauce on top. This vegan version features absolutely no dairy, but certainly doesn't miss any flavor or that wow factor you expect from comfort food.
This vegan cannelloni recipe is the perfect one for impressing even the fussiest eaters. It features a spinach filling, Bechamel sauce and a tomato sauce, all of which are made from scratch. But the good news is, the whole preparation process is still ridiculously simple. And everyone's guaranteed to love it!
How to make vegan cannelloni
Make the filling
Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add an onion and mushrooms, and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.
Now add plant based milk, salt, cumin and flour. Stir continuously until the sauce thickens, and at the end add a handful of spinach. When the spinach wilts, remove from the heat and set aside.
Make the tomato sauce
You can make the tomato sauce at the same time as the filling using a different pan. Heat some olive oil over a medium-high heat and add an onion, paprika, garlic powder, salt and tomato paste. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until softened and fragrant.
Then, add the fresh tomatoes and cook for a few minutes more, and when they soften add the canned tomatoes and spinach. Stir for around 4-5 minutes, until the sauce reduces and the spinach wilts.
Make the vegan Bechamel
To make the Bechamel, start by melting dairy-free butter over a medium heat. Then, add the flour and whisk vigorously for around 30 seconds.
Gradually add plant based milk around ⅓ cup at a time, whisking until thickened before adding more. Remove from the heat once you've added all the milk and the Bechamel had thickened fully.
Assemble and bake
Start by adding around ½ of the Bechamel sauce to the bottom of a baking baking dish. Then, add the mushroom sauce to the cannelloni. You can do this by adding the sauce to a ziplock bag and cutting off the corner, or using a small spoon.
Then, add the rest of the Bechamel on top, followed by the tomato sauce. Bake at 350 degrees F/180 degrees C for 25 minutes uncovered, then remove, add optional grated vegan cheese on top, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes more.
How to store and freeze vegan cannelloni
To store in the fridge, keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave until fully warmed through.
Vegan cannelloni is also a great freezer-friendly recipe. You can transfer them to freezer-friendly bags with the filling for up to 2-3 months. Then, when ready to bake, make the tomato sauce and the Bechamel, and assemble/bake as instructed, simply adding 10 minutes extra of baking time.
Vegan cannelloni recipe tips and variations
- Feel free to add any other vegetables of your choice to the filling. For instance, zucchini and bell peppers work really well. Just make sure to dice them quite finely to make it easy to add to the cannelloni.
- Make the Bechamel sauce last because it'll start to clump up quite quickly if you allow it to sit on the counter for too long. To save time, make the mushroom & spinach filling and the tomato sauce simultaneously.
- The Bechamel and tomato sauce combination works well with any pasta variety of your choice. Simply prepare the Bechamel as instructed above, then mix with uncooked pasta of your choice and transfer to a baking dish. Then, add the tomato sauce on top and bake as you would the cannelloni.
Other must-try vegan pasta recipes
- My one pot chickpea pasta is easy and comforting.
- Vegan sweet potato pasta never fails to impress!
- Caramelized onion pasta is always a good idea.
- My vegan garlic butter pasta is a comfort food classic.
If you give this vegan cannelloni recipe a go, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@ohmyveggies) so I can see your creations, and leave your feedback in the comments below together with a star rating!
Equipment
- Frying pan
- Saucepan
- Conventional oven
- Rectangular baking dish
Ingredients
- 12 cannelloni tubes
- ⅓ cup vegan cheese grated, optional
For the filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ large onion
- 4 oz mushrooms
- ½ cup plant based milk
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 cups spinach
For the tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ large onion diced
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 oz tomatoes diced
- ½ can canned tomatoes
- 1 cup spinach chopped
For the Bechamel sauce
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- ½ cup flour
- 2 cups plant based milk
Instructions
Make the cannelloni filling
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add an onion and mushrooms, and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.1 tbsp olive oil, ½ large onion, 4 oz mushrooms
- Now add the plant based milk, salt, cumin and flour. Stir continuously until the sauce thickens, and at the end add a handful of spinach. When the spinach wilts, remove from the heat and set aside.½ cup plant based milk, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp cumin, 1 tbsp flour, 2 cups spinach
Make the tomato sauce
- Heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat and add the onion, paprika, garlic powder, salt and tomato paste. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until softened and fragrant.1 tbsp olive oil, ½ large onion, ½ tsp paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp salt, 3 tbsp tomato paste
- Then, add the fresh tomatoes and cook for a few minutes more, and when they soften add the canned tomatoes and spinach. Stir for around 4-5 minutes, until the sauce reduces and the spinach wilts.4 oz tomatoes, ½ can canned tomatoes, 1 cup spinach
Make the Bechamel
- Melt the dairy-free butter over a medium heat. Then, add the flour and whisk vigorously for around 30 seconds.¼ cup vegan butter, ½ cup flour
- Gradually add plant based milk around ⅓ cup at a time, whisking until thickened before adding more. Remove from the heat once you've added all the milk and the Bechamel had thickened fully.2 cups plant based milk
Assemble and bake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C.
- Add around ½ of the Bechamel sauce to the bottom of a baking baking dish. Then, add the mushroom sauce to the cannelloni. You can do this by adding the sauce to a ziplock bag and cutting off the corner, or using a small spoon.Then, add the rest of the Bechamel on top, followed by the tomato sauce.12 cannelloni tubes
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes uncovered, then remove, add optional grated vegan cheese on top, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes more. Serve immediately, or store for later.⅓ cup vegan cheese
Video
Notes
- To store in the fridge, keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave until fully warmed through.
- This is also a great freezer-friendly recipe. You can transfer them to freezer-friendly bags with the filling for up to 2-3 months. Then, when ready to bake, make the tomato sauce and the Bechamel, and assemble/bake as instructed, simply adding 10 minutes extra of baking time.
- Feel free to add any other vegetables of your choice to the filling. For instance, zucchini and bell peppers work really well. Just make sure to dice them quite finely to make it easy to add to the cannelloni.
- Make the Bechamel sauce last because it'll start to clump up quite quickly if you allow it to sit on the counter for too long. To save time, make the mushroom & spinach filling and the tomato sauce simultaneously.
- The Bechamel and tomato sauce combination works well with any pasta variety of your choice. Simply prepare the Bechamel as instructed above, then mix with uncooked pasta of your choice and transfer to a baking dish. Then, add the tomato sauce on top and bake as you would the cannelloni.
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