Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
By Amanda Scali
After all the excitement of Christmas and NY, you might be looking for some quiet days at home cooking some wholesome meals to share with the family.
This spinach and ricotta Cannelloni dish is as wholesome as they come and will leave you feeling all the warm and fuzzies that come with a great meal.
What you’ll need:
Sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
800 g crushed tomato
1 cup of water
3/4 tsp salt + pepper to taste
Handful basil leaves, torn, or 1 tsp dried herbs (e.g. Italian mix, oregano, thyme, basil)
Filling:
250 g frozen chopped spinach, thawed
500 g ricotta, full fat
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1 cup shredded cheese (Mozzarella, Colby, Cheddar, Tasty, Gruyere, Swiss)
1 egg
1 large garlic clove, minced
Grated fresh nutmeg (just a sprinkling) or 1/8 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp salt and pepper, each
Cannelloni
18 - 22 dried cannelloni tubes
1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella
More basil, for garnish
Method:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 - 3 minutes until translucent. Add tomato, water, salt and pepper.
Stir, reduce heat to medium, simmer for 5 minutes.
Filling:
Place Spinach in a colander and press out most of the liquid (don't need to thoroughly squeeze dry).
Place Spinach in a bowl with remaining filling ingredients. Mix, taste, adjust salt and pepper to taste (different cheeses have different saltiness).
Assemble & bake:
Preheat oven to 180C
Choose a baking pan which will comfortably fit about 20 cannelloni.
Spread a bit of sauce on the base.
Transfer filling to a piping bag with a large nozzle (that fits in the tubes), or use a strong ziplock bag.
Pipe the filling into the tubes. Place in baking dish.
Pour over remaining Sauce, covering all the tubes. Cover with foil, then bake for 25 minutes.
Remove foil, scatter over the cheese. Return to oven for 10 minutes until cheese is melted.
Serve, garnished with extra basil if desired.