Como Crash Cannelloni
Based on:
TypeMain course
Serves4 people
DateAugust 21, 2026
Bike lanes of cannelloni collide in a sharp, zesty bake: Como’s center on your plate.
Oven-baked cannelloni in a sharp tomato and lemon sauce, arranged as bike lanes in a rectangular dish (Como’s center), with basil 'bikes' and a yellow pepper 'e-bike' crash. The dish visualizes Como’s bike ban and the collision, with a zesty, spicy kick.
Ingredients
- 16 cannelloni (uncooked)
- 800 g ground beef
- 2 onions
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 cans chopped tomatoes (800 g total)
- 1 small can tomato paste (70 g)
- 1 lemon (zest and juice)
- 1 red chili pepper
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 200 g ricotta
- 100 g Parmesan cheese (grated)
- 2 balls mozzarella
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 bunch fresh basil
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Finely chop the onions and garlic.
- Heat olive oil in a pan, sauté onion and garlic until translucent.
- Add ground beef, cook until browned.
- Add tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, sugar, finely chopped chili, lemon zest and juice. Simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Mix ricotta with half of the Parmesan.
- Fill the cannelloni with the ricotta mixture.
- Spoon a layer of tomato sauce into a rectangular oven dish.
- Lay the filled cannelloni in straight lines, like bike lanes in Como’s center.
- Cover with the remaining sauce and slices of mozzarella.
- Cut half a yellow bell pepper into a bicycle shape and place diagonally across the cannelloni, as a crashing bike.
- Bake for 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.
- Garnish with basil leaves as small cyclists across the lanes.
Serving notes
- Serve in the dish so the Como center layout remains visible.
- Let everyone scoop out their own 'street'.
- Garnish with extra fresh basil for the cycling effect.