Abstract: An apparatus for forming a product strip about a filling material, such as a tubular filled pasta product and particularly cannelloni, has a roller positioned for forming a strip of material, such as a pasta strip, when the strip is transported longitudinally and contacted by the roller, into a curved strip having a curved interior area, and a conveyor belt is positioned to transport the curved strip from the roller to a filling deposit member for deposit of a filling within the curved strip interior area and then to a ring member positioned for passage of the curved strip containing the filling therethrough for forming the curved strip into a tube about the filling for enclosing the filling within the tube.

Abstract: Cannelloni is prepared by, initially, forming and blanching a longitudinally extending pasta strand and then cutting the strand into a plurality of longitudinally-extending strips positioned side-by-side. Each strip is passed in a direction of its longitudinal extent to and by a roller having a configuration of a curved surface so that it is contacted by the roller surface to curve the strip so that the curved strip has an upper concave curved surface and a lower convex curved surface, the curved strip is transported on a conveyor belt so that the convex surface is carried by the belt, a filling is deposited onto the concave surface and the curved strip is formed, in particular, by passing the curved strip and filling through a ring positioned above the belt, into a tube for enclosing the filling and so that the strip overlaps, and then, the tube is cut into tubular pieces.