Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
Cannelloni, meaning large tubes, is one of our favourite stuffed pasta dishes. This recipe brings an impressive and comforting meal to the table - pasta tubes filled with vibrant green spinach and creamy ricotta, all baked in a bright tomato sauce. It's perfect for dinner parties and family gatherings. We highly recommend using fresh ricotta from the delicatessen for a smoother, lighter filling, as often the pre-packaged tubs have a grittiness and heaviness that weighs down the dish.
Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni is not only delicious and nutritious but also make-ahead-friendly. It's on high rotation in the Clove Kitchen, and we love the leftovers for lunch the next day. Save it to your favourite dinners folder; it's a real winner!
Ingredients 14
For The Filling
2 bunches English spinach, washed, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄2 tsp pepper
2 eggs, whisked
70 g parmesan, about 3/4 cup, grated
500 g ricotta, fresh
1 tbsp oregano, dried
1⁄8 tsp nutmeg
For The Tomato Sauce
2 tins Roma tomatoes, whole
4 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bunch basil, leaves picked
1 tsp salt
1⁄2 tsp pepper
To Assemble
250 g cannelloni, about 18 - 22 tubes
1 cup parmesan, grated
1 tub bocconcini, roughly torn
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Method 12
For The Filling
Start by preparing the filling. Wash the thoroughly, cut the stems very finely, and roughly chop the leaves. Finely chop the .
In a large frypan, heat over medium heat. Add the and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add half of the to the pan and season with half of the and . Cook, stirring frequently for 1-2 minutes until the spinach starts to wilt. Add the remaining spinach, salt and pepper and stir until all the spinach is wilted and any moisture has evaporated. Transfer the spinach mixture to a colander to cool and drain off any excess moisture. You can speed this up by placing the colander in the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes. Once the spinach is cool enough to handle, gently press it down in the colander to remove as much moisture as possible.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the . Grate in the and add the , , , and the spinach mixture. Mix well to combine, then taste and add more and if needed.
For The Tomato Sauce
Add the tins of to a medium bowl and crush with a potato masher or your hands. Pick out any tough bits and set aside. Pick the from the stem and set both aside. Finely chop the .
In a large saucepan over low heat, add the , basil stems and . Cook low and slow for 5 minutes until smelling really delicious. Be sure to keep the heat low, you don't want to burn the garlic as this will ruin the flavour of the sauce.
Add the , and to the saucepan. Fill one of the tomato tins 3/4 of the way up with water and add to the saucepan. Increase the heat to medium and simmer the sauce for 15-20 minutes until slightly reduced.
Taste and add more and if needed. If the tomatoes are a bit acidic, add 1 /2 tsp of sugar to the sauce and mix well. Use tongs to remove the basil stems. Add the and cook for 2-3 minutes until the basil leaves have wilted, then turn off the heat.
To Assemble
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Choose a large rectangular baking dish about 25cm x 30cm and practice laying the unfilled down - play around and find the best arrangement to fit the maximum amount of cannelloni tubes comfortably in one layer in multiple rows. Then remove the cannelloni tubes and spread a thin layer of tomato sauce to cover the bottom, about a third of the sauce.
Transfer the filling to a piping bag if you have one, otherwise you can use a teaspoon. Fill the tubes with the spinach-ricotta mixture and arrange in rows in a single layer on top of the . The tubes should be snug but not too tight to allow the pasta to cook evenly.
Cover the with the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle the grated and roughly tear the over the top. Cover tightly with aluminium foil.
Bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes uncovered, until the cheese is golden and the pasta tubes are tender when pierced with a knife.
When cooked through, remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.
Clove Kitchen's tips
The recipe might make slightly more spinach and ricotta filling than needed, depending on the type of cannelloni tubes, filling technique and size of the tray you're using. If there are leftovers, the filling makes a delicious toastie, or spread it between two tortillas and fry in a lightly oiled pan for 3-4 minutes on each side for a cheats Turkish gozleme.
