Start by cooking the 500 grams ground beef mince in <wprm-ingredient uid="4" removed="0"> salt and pepper until it changes from pink to brown. Push it to one side of the pan and add salt and pepper to fry. Once the bacon starts to cook, pull it into the beef mince. Cook for about 2 minutes with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the meat and set it aside on a plate for later. Don't wash the pan!

In the same pan, (you might need to add a little oil) cook the 200 grams diced bacon until soft. Add the 2 tbsps olive oil and mix it into the onions, less than a minute to cook. If you onions are sticking don't add even more oil, best to add a little passata into the pan, stir it into onions. This will help prevent the onion from sticking or burning. Add the tomato paste1/3 cup water, 2-3 Tbsps cream or milk and Italian seasoning.Add the 2-3 tbsps olive oil, stir it in, add 1 cup passata and the 1/3 cup water, into the empty tomato cans. Season, and leave to simmer for 15 minutes until thick.

In a fairly large plate spoon out the 125 grams 10 cannelloni pasta tubes or 250 grams for 20 tubes. See notes for more. and smooth it out with a spoon. Add the Parmesan cheese to help thin it out even more. You dont want it runny, you want mascarpone cheese, just a little softer spreading consistency.Add a 1/4 to 1/2 of the mascarpone mix to the meat. It will take a minute to carefully fold the cheese in, without smashing the meat! Now add ¼ cup of the marinara sauce and a handfull of grated Parmesan cheese, freshly grated mix it all together.

First make sure the oven dish is prepped so add about ⅓ of a cup of tomato (marinara) sauce to the bottom of the oven dish and spread it out. Fill the tubes with the meat ingredients that are now mixed with the cheese and tomato, into the 125 grams 10 cannelloni pasta tubes or 250 grams for 20 tubes. See notes for more. For this, you can use a piping bag or use a spoon to scoop the meat mixture and add it into the tubes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).As the tubes are filled, place them into the prepped dish on top of the sauce.Add marinara sauce and 3-4 garlic cloves over the cannelloni tubes and spread it out with a spoon. Add the remaining meat and cheese mix and spread that out over the tomato. Now add the remaining marinara sauce, spread it over and sprinkle some freshly chopped basil over the sauce. If using basil instead, add a little drizzle of olive oil over the fresh basil. Finish with the remaining mascarpone cheese mixed with cream from step 3. If your mascarpone is a little thick, add about a tablespoon or 2 of cream or milk for a more pourable consistency. It will not pour out as a liquid, so use a spoon to spread it out.

Add the parmesan cheese (freshly grated) and finish with Cheddar cheese, grated Bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden brown. Remove the baked cannelloni from the oven and let it settle (rest) before carving.