Cold cannelloni stuffed with tuna, corn, hard-boiled egg, and olives, then blanketed in mayonnaise. They come together in 30 minutes, they’re eaten straight from the fridge, and they’re the star recipe in my house the second the heat sets in.
There’s a moment every year when the oven stops getting turned on in my house. It isn’t a date on the calendar, it’s a feeling: you walk into the kitchen, notice how still the air is, and decide that today, no.
That’s the week these summer cannelloni show up.
These are the cannelloni my mother made when people dropped by without warning, because the whole filling comes out of the pantry: a few cans of tuna, a can of corn, some olives, and eggs. You assemble them in the morning, put them in the fridge, and by lunchtime they’re cold, firm, and ready to go.
Why you’re going to like this recipe
- The only things you cook are the pasta and the eggs. No oven, no béchamel, no broiling anything in August.
- It’s made ahead. In fact it needs to be made ahead so it can chill, at least 2 hours in the fridge. It’s a recipe that works for you while you’re off doing something else.
- Pantry ingredients. Tuna, corn, olives, eggs, mayonnaise. You probably have all of it at home already.
- It travels well. It holds up perfectly in a dish covered with plastic wrap, whether you’re taking it to a family get-together or to the beach (in a cooler, obviously).
- Kids love them (and so do the grown-ups).
Ingredients and notes
As I mentioned, the ingredients are very simple.
Cannelloni sheets. You can use the old-fashioned dried ones or the no-boil kind that just need a soak. I prefer boiling the dried ones: they have more body and tear less when you roll them. If you use the no-boil kind, follow the timing on the package and don’t go a minute over. If you can’t find flat sheets, fresh lasagna noodles cut to size work just as well.
Tuna packed in olive oil. In oil, not in water. Water-packed tuna comes out dry and the filling loses its richness. Drain it well, but don’t wring it out completely.
Sweet corn. Drain it and pat it dry a little with paper towels.
Hard-boiled eggs. They go chopped into the filling. You can hold a little back to grate over the top at the end.
Pitted green olives. Finely chopped or sliced. If you like a stronger flavor, use anchovy-stuffed manzanilla olives.
Mayonnaise. For the filling and for covering the cannelloni. This is not the moment for light mayo, which breaks when you stir it in and turns watery.
How to make them, step by step
1. Boil the eggs
Put the eggs in cold water, bring it to a boil, and count 10 minutes from the moment it starts boiling. Move them straight into ice water. Cooling them fast keeps that gray-green ring from forming around the yolk and makes them much easier to peel.
2. Cook the pasta sheets
Plenty of water, well salted, at a rolling boil. Add the sheets one at a time so they don’t stick together, and stir gently for the first 30 seconds.
Cook them one minute less than the package says. The pasta isn’t going to keep cooking in the oven here, but it will soften slightly over the hours in the fridge. An overcooked sheet tears the second you roll it.
This is the step that ruins the recipe if you get it wrong: as soon as you take them out, move them to a bowl of cold water, then lay them out without overlapping on a clean, damp kitchen towel. If you stack them, they fuse together and there is no human way to separate them afterward.
3. Make the filling
In a large bowl, mix the well-drained tuna, flaked with a fork, with the dried-off corn, the chopped hard-boiled eggs, and the finely chopped olives.
Add the mayonnaise a little at a time, starting with 2 tablespoons. Mix and see how it looks. You want a filling that holds its shape on a spoon, not one that drips. Too much mayo and the filling squeezes out the sides as you roll, leaving you with floppy cannelloni.
Season with salt and pepper, and that’s it.
4. Fill and roll
Lay a sheet on the cutting board, put a heaping tablespoon of filling along the edge closest to you, and roll it up firmly but without squeezing.
Set them in the dish seam side down. That’s the only thing keeping them from unrolling while they rest.
5. Cover and chill
Cover them with mayonnaise, grate a little hard-boiled egg over the top if you like, and finish with a few olives.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Four is better. Overnight is ideal.
Frequently asked questions about summer cannelloni
Can I make them the day before?
Yes, and that’s what I’d recommend. The recipe is designed for it. Cover them with plastic wrap pressed against the surface of the mayonnaise so it doesn’t dry out.
How long do they keep in the fridge?
Two days, three at the most. They contain egg and mayonnaise, so in summer be strict about this: always keep them cold, and don’t leave them sitting out on the table for more than an hour.
Can they be frozen?
No. The mayonnaise breaks as it thaws and the pasta turns gummy. This is a fridge-only recipe.
My pasta sheets tore when I rolled them. What went wrong?
Almost certainly they were overcooked, or they cooled off in a stack and stuck together. Cook them a minute less and lay them out separately on a damp towel.
Can I use no-boil cannelloni?
Yes, but soak them in warm water for as long as the manufacturer says. Used dry, they end up tough around the edges, even after resting.
Is this the same as canelones rusos?
Very similar. The “Russian” version usually also includes cooked carrot and peas, like a rolled-up potato salad. Add them if you want.
Variations
- With piquillo peppers: two chopped piquillos in the filling. Sweetness and color, and they go beautifully with tuna. Jarred roasted red peppers work too.
- With apple: half a green apple in very small dice. It sounds strange, but it works. It adds freshness and a bit of crunch.
- Without pasta: the same filling inside hollowed-out tomatoes or half an avocado.
- With chicken: swap the tuna for shredded rotisserie chicken. Perfect for using up leftovers.
- Lighter: replace half the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt. It loses some richness but gains freshness.
Recipe notes
Storage: 2–3 days in the fridge, always covered. Not suitable for freezing.
Cook the pasta al dente. This is the most common mistake. An overcooked sheet tears when you roll it and falls apart in the dish.
Never stack the hot sheets. They fuse together and won’t come apart.
Drain the tuna and corn well. Excess liquid waters down the filling and makes the mayonnaise separate as it sits.
Better the next day. The filling settles and the pasta absorbs some of the sauce.
Cold summer cannelloni
Description
Cold cannelloni stuffed with tuna, corn, hard-boiled egg, and olives, then blanketed in mayonnaise. They come together in 30 minutes, they're eaten straight from the fridge, and they're the star recipe in my house the second the heat sets in.
Ingredients
Method
-
Prep The Pasta Sheets And The Eggs
Boil the eggs until hard-cooked, about 10 minutes from the moment the water starts to boil.
Transfer them to cold water. Prepare the cannelloni sheets according to the instructions, and don't lay them on top of each other so they don't stick together.
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Make The Filling
In a bowl, mix the tuna with the corn, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and chopped olives. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Gradually add the mayonnaise little by little, until you like the texture.
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Assemble The Cannelloni
On a flat surface, lay out a cooked cannelloni sheet, add a little filling at one end, and roll it up.
Place them in a baking dish or on a flat plate. Decorate with mayonnaise and olives if you like.
