📌 Cannelloni Stuffed with Salmon, Ricotta, and Zucchini Flowers

Posted 19 April 2026 by: Admin #Recipes

Prep Time

35 minutes

Cook Time

40 minutes

Total Time

1h15

Servings

4 servings

That smell drifting from the oven when the Parmesan cream begins to caramelize at the edges of the dish — it’s impossible to stay in another room. Salmon-stuffed cannelloni are the kind of dish you pull out on a Sunday for no particular reason, turning the meal into something real. Total comfort, no complications.

Final result — Cannelloni stuffed with salmon and ricotta, baked under a layer of Parmesan cream and garnished with fresh basil.

The dish arrives at the table still steaming, the surface slightly crispy where the Parmesan has gratinéed into a golden crust like light caramel. Under this layer, the cream has thickened into a silky coating, and when you cut a cannelloni with a spoon, the pale pink salmon filling gently escapes, mixed with melting ricotta and the small orange petals of zucchini flowers. A puff of garlic and fresh basil rises immediately. It’s simple. It’s very good.

Why you’ll love this recipe

✓A dish that can be prepared in advance without tricks : You can stuff the cannelloni the day before and keep the dish in the fridge. The next day, just pour the cream and bake. Practical for hosting without last-minute stress.

✓Salmon is more refined than minced meat : Flaked with a fork after a quick steam, it creates a light and melting filling. Nothing like Bolognese cannelloni, which are much heavier at the end of the meal.

✓Zucchini flowers do all the visual work : A few petals chopped into the filling, and you have orange touches popping out in every bite. It doesn’t fundamentally shake up the taste — but it changes everything for the presentation.

✓The sauce is a real sauce, not a jar : Heavy cream, Parmesan, salt, pepper. Four ingredients, two minutes. It transforms during cooking into something significantly more complex than the sum of its parts.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients

All ingredients gathered: salmon, ricotta, zucchini flowers, basil, Parmesan, and cream — a beautiful promise.

Salmon (300 g skinless fillets) : Choose thick fillets, not thin slices that dry out in the steamer in 3 minutes. After cooking, the center should remain slightly pink. Quality frozen salmon works very well — provided it’s properly thawed and patted dry before flaking, otherwise the filling becomes too wet and the cannelloni collapse.
Ricotta (300 g) : Supermarket ricotta does the job. The important point: it shouldn’t release too much water. If it’s very liquid out of the tub, drain it for 15 minutes in a fine sieve before using. A filling that’s too wet results in cannelloni that burst open and empty during cooking.
Zucchini flowers (4) : In season, you can find them at markets or specialty grocers. Out of season, skip them — the recipe holds up perfectly without. Definitely don’t cook them before chopping: they are fragile and lose their orange color in seconds of heat.
Grated Parmesan (120 g) : Get real Parmesan and grate it yourself, not the fine powder in a bag. The difference in the sauce is immediate: it’s more flavorful and gratinates better. 120 g for 4 people is generous — and that’s intentional.
Heavy liquid cream (40 cl) : Full fat, at least 30%. A light cream will split in the heat and produce a lumpy sauce. No need for the most expensive kind — a standard heavy cream is more than enough.

The filling: the moment where everything is decided

Start by steaming the salmon very quickly — 6 to 8 minutes absolute maximum; the center must remain slightly pink. It will finish cooking in the oven. Let it cool completely before flaking it with a fork, separating the fibers without mashing them. In a bowl, mix this salmon with the ricotta, very finely minced garlic, chopped basil, and the zucchini flowers cut into small pieces. The filling is soft, slightly pink, with orange and green accents. It smells of fresh basil and the sea. Transfer it to a piping bag — or, failing that, a freezer bag with a corner cut off.

The part everyone misses: filling the cannelloni

This is where people give up and switch to lasagna. Don’t do that. A piping bag is really the only technique that works — filling pasta tubes with a spoon is a guarantee of uneven filling and wasted time. Hold the cannelloni in one hand, insert the tip into the middle of the tube, and squeeze while slowly pulling back toward the opening. The filling must reach both ends. A well-filled tube feels slightly firm under your fingers without being about to burst. Lay them side-by-side in the baking dish, tight but not forced.

Parmesan cream: four ingredients, an impressive sauce

Mix the liquid cream with 100 g of grated Parmesan, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. There, the sauce is ready. Pour this mixture over the cannelloni to cover them almost entirely — they shouldn’t dry out on top during baking. Sprinkle the remaining 20 g of Parmesan over the top. During cooking, the cream will thicken, the Parmesan will melt into the sauce and brown on the surface. When you hear a low bubbling through the oven door, you know the heat is doing its job.

The oven, patience, and the crust that was worth the wait

30 minutes at 180°C — and above all, no lid. The cannelloni cook in the steam from the cream, which is exactly what we want. In the last 5 minutes, if the surface isn’t colored enough, switch to grill mode at medium power and watch closely. The ideal crust: golden like light caramel, slightly crispy at the edges where the cream has reduced into a thin, gratinéed layer. Let it rest for 5 minutes out of the oven before serving — the filling holds together better when cut, and you won’t burn your tongue on the first bite.

Tips & Tricks

If you can’t find zucchini flowers, replace them with very finely grated zucchini, squeezed dry in a kitchen towel — same freshness, same color in the filling.
Prepare the filling the day before and keep it in the fridge in the closed piping bag: the next day the flavors will have melded and the filling process goes twice as fast.
To prevent the edges of the cannelloni from drying out, cover the dish with aluminum foil for the first 20 minutes, then remove it for the last 10 — the crust forms without the pasta hardening.
Fresh basil after taking it out of the oven is not optional: it refreshes the dish and contrasts with the richness of the cream. Use it generously when serving, not before.

Close-up of the golden crust and the creamy salmon filling slightly bulging from the cannelloni.

FAQs

Can I prepare the cannelloni the day before?

Yes, it is actually recommended. Stuff the cannelloni, arrange them in the dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The next day, pour the Parmesan cream and bake directly. Add 5 minutes to the cooking time if the dish is coming straight from the cold fridge.

Is a piping bag really mandatory?

No, but it really is much easier. A freezer bag with a 1 cm corner cut off works very well. Filling cannelloni with a teaspoon is possible but tedious — the filling often remains uneven and you risk breaking the tubes.

Can I replace the zucchini flowers?

Totally. Out of season, use about 80 g of very finely grated zucchini, squeezed dry in a towel. The green color and freshness remain. You can also simply omit them without replacing.

The dish can be assembled, but can I freeze the stuffed cannelloni?

You can freeze the stuffed cannelloni before adding the cream sauce. Freeze them flat on a tray first, then transfer to a container. For cooking, thaw in the fridge overnight, then pour the cream and bake as usual. The texture of the ricotta changes slightly but remains perfectly acceptable.

How can I prevent the cannelloni from being hard after cooking?

Two key points: the cream sauce must well cover the tubes before baking — if the edges stick out, they harden. Also, cover the dish with foil for the first 20 minutes so the steam cooks the pasta evenly. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes for the golden crust.

Can I use other fish instead of salmon?

Yes. Salmon trout is the closest alternative in texture and taste. Cod also works — it’s more neutral, so slightly increase the basil and garlic to compensate. Avoid very lean fish like whiting, which result in a dry filling.