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spinach ricotta cannelloni cooked
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Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
1 hr 35 mins
 
If you are looking to get more greens into your kids then look no further. This recipe neatly hides a tasty puree of spinach within thick tubes of pasta, which are then coated with a layer of thick cheese sauce.
Course: Family
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 6
Author: Gillian Thompson
Ingredients
  • 50 g Butter
  • 1 large Onion finely chopped
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic crushed or thinly sliced
  • 250 g frozen chopped spinach defrosted
  • 250 g tub ricotta
  • 1 tablespoon level freshly grated nutmeg
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 10-12 cannelloni tubes
  • 35 g plain flour
  • 550 ml milk
  • 125 g freshly grated parmesan
  • 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
  • Extra mozzarella and parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
For the Filling:
  1. Melt half the butter in a pan and fry the onion for 3-4 minutes.
  2. Add the finely chopped garlic and cook for a 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add the drained spinach and cook for a further minute.
  4. Remove from the heat and using a stick blender, blend to a fine paste.
  5. Stir in the ricotta, nutmeg and season to taste and mix well.
  6. Add the ricotta and spinach filling to a plastic bag, tie a knot and snip one corner and now gently squeeze the mixture from the bag and fill as many cannelloni tubes as you can.
  7. Arrange the tubes onto a lightly buttered oven-proof dish, or add a layer of tomato sauce (see tip)
For the Topping:
  1. Melt the remaining butter in a pan, stir in the flour, and cook for at least one minute stirring continuously.
  2. Add the milk a little at a time, keep stirring and cook for 2-3 mins until thickened and smooth.
  3. Stir in half the parmesan and season to taste.
  4. Pour the sauce over the cannelloni and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and mozzarella (if using)
  5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C, 350F, Gas mark 4 for 35 mins.
  6. Sprinkle over the parsley and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes

b]Tip:[/b]
1. If you have some ready-made tomato sauce to hand you can add a thin layer to the bottom of the baking dish and place the cannelloni tubes on top. I recommend making a batch of [Jamie’s 7 veg tomato sauce and freezing in ice-cube trays, which can be used as a pasta sauce, pizza topping, and as the bottom tomato sauce layer for this dish.

2. Serve with a crisp green salad and garlic bread.