Italian comfort food that everyone in the family will love
Stuffed with a creamy filling of spinach and ricotta, cannelloni pasta tubes are baked in your favourite tomato sauce and melting mozzarella cheese.
This take on a classic Italian recipe is so comforting to eat yet surprisingly simple to make!
And with the secret combination of three cheeses, this is one that will be a big hit with all vegetarians and carnivores alike!
Recipe
23oz (680 ml) tomato sauce
16 oz (500 g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
16 oz (475 g) ricotta cheese
12oz (375 ml) shredded mozzarella
4oz (125 ml) grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
4 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp salt, or to taste
¼ tsp black pepper, or to taste
8oz (250g) oven-ready cannelloni shells (dry pasta)
Cooking
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Grease a 3 quart (3 liter) baking dish; spread 250 ml tomato sauce at the bottom.
Squeeze thawed spinach to remove excess moisture.
In a large bowl, mix spinach, ricotta, 8oz (125 ml) mozzarella, parmesan, egg, 2 tbsp parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.
Spoon into a large resealable plastic bag.
Snip off one corner to make a piping bag.
Pipe filling into both ends of cannelloni shells to fill.
Now, arrange stuffed cannelloni shells in a single layer in a prepared baking dish. Spread with remaining pasta and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake 30 to 35 min, until cannelloni is tender and sauce is bubbly.
Let stand for 5 min.
Before serving sprinkled with the remaining parsley.
How to store leftovers
Bake in a disposable aluminum tray and once cooled, cover in aluminum foil and freeze. Defrost fully before reheating.
Pro-tip!
Another wonderful thing about cannelloni is that you can fill the tubes with your favorite bolognese, or anything else that you prefer! Get creative! Add different things into the tubes to your liking.
Sandra Chan
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