For a night when you’ve got a little bit more time and fancy making something extra delicious, this is just the ticket: cannelloni pasta filled with spinach and ricotta, cooked on a base of herby tomato sauce and topped with a garlic and a herb white sauce – all baked until bubbling and gorgeous.
This recipe makes a large tray full – enough for six hungry people, or four very hungry people.
Here’s what to do…
Ingredients
For the tomato sauce:
- 2 tbsp oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 white onion, finely diced
- 1 heaped tsp dried oregano
- 800g (28 oz) (2 tins) tinned chopped tomatoes
- Salt and pepper
For the cannelloni filling
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 30g (1 oz) butter
- 180g (6 oz) fresh spinach, washed drained and dried
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 500g (18 oz) ricotta
- 165g (5.8 oz) hard cheese, finely grated
- 200g (7 oz) dried cannelloni shells
For the white sauce topping:
- 300g (10.5 oz) cream cheese
- 15g (0.5 oz) fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
- 150ml whole milk
- 65g (2oz) hard cheese, finely grated
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
To make the tomato sauce
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat and the onion and garlic until soft.
Add the oregano, chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper and simmer for 10-15 mins until thickened and reduced by about half. Set aside.
To make the cannelloni filling
In another pan, warm the oil and butter over a medium heat and add the spinach, then add to the pan with the nutmeg and the rest of garlic. Cook gently until completely wilted.
Leave to cool, drain off the excess water if necessary, then tip the spinach onto a board and finely chop.
In a bowl, mix the chopped spinach with the ricotta and hard cheese until fully combined.
Fill a piping bag with the mix and the snip off the end, then use to fill the cannelloni shells.
To make the white sauce topping
In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, basil and milk together until smooth.
Mix in the hard cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper.
To assemble
Grease a large roasting tray, then pour the tomato sauce into the base, spreading evenly.
Lay the cannelloni on top in a single layer.
Pour the white sauce all over, aiming for an even coating that should just cover the pasta.
Bake at 200C/390F (180C/355F fan) for 20-30 minutes, depending on if you like your cannelloni saucy or firm.
Fancy trying it? Let me know if you do! Here’s the recipe in printable form.
Spinach and ricotta cannelloni
Ingredients
For the tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp oil
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 white onion finely diced
- 1 heaped tsp dried oregano
- 800 g 28 oz (2 tins) tinned chopped tomatoes
- Salt and pepper
For the cannelloni filling
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 30 g 1 oz butter
- 180 g 6 oz fresh spinach, washed drained and dried
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 500 g 18 oz ricotta
- 165 g 5.8 oz hard cheese, finely grated
- 200 g 7 oz dried cannelloni shells
For the white sauce topping
- 300 g 10.5 oz cream cheese
- 15 g fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
- 150 ml whole milk
- 65 g 2oz hard cheese, finely grated
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
To make the tomato sauce
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat and the onion and garlic until soft.
- Add the oregano. chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper and simmer for 10-15 mins until thickened and reduce by about half. Set aside.
To make the cannelloni filling
- In another pan, warm the oil and butter over a medium heat and add the spinach, then add to the pan with the nutmeg and the rest of garlic. Cook gently until completely wilted
- Leave to cool, drain off the excess water if necessary, then tip the spinach onto a board and finely chop.
- In a bowl, mix the chopped spinach with the ricotta, milk and hard cheese until fully combined.
- Fill a piping bag with the mix and then snip off the end, then use to fill the cannelloni shells.
To make the white sauce topping
- In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, basil and milk together until smooth.
- Mix in the hard cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper.
To assemble
- Grease a large roasting tray, then pour the tomato sauce into the base, spreading evenly.
- Lay the cannelloni on top in a single layer.
- Pour the white sauce all over, aiming for an even coating that should just cover the pasta.
- Bake at 200C/390F (180C/355F fan) for 20-30 minutes depending on if you like your cannelloni saucy or firm.
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Daisy says
Started making this…with some difficulty, as all the three parts of the recipe are indistinguishable so I had to keep reading and re-reading to check which part I was at. Would have been easier if the recipe was divided into three parts for ease of reference.
Then the part with the filling – it says to mix the spinach with milk but I can’t see anywhere how much milk??? It says 150 ml for the sauce, is it the same for the filling? :S
Kind of now winging it as I have no idea how much milk is meant to go in haha! Hope it comes out alright!
Emily Leary says
Hi. The recipe is already divided by sub-heading into three parts (For the sauce, For the filling etc) and has step by step images so I’m not sure where the confusion lies in that respect? Perhaps the recipe card wasn’t displaying properly?
Sorry about the mention of milk in the filling method – I’ve deleted that. How did it go?
melissa major says
I just love pasta, this recipe looks delicious! I love the step by step guide here, so helpful
Emily Leary says
Thanks! I always think it makes recipes so much clearer and more ‘doable’ when you can see what each stage is meant to look like.
Katrina says
Looks yummy I would make just for for me as my hubb and son don’t like pasta there crazy lol
Emily Leary says
GASP! All the more for you then :D
Hannah says
This sounds and looks delicious. I usually love things like this so I need to try it x
Emily Leary says
Thank so much. Let me know if you make it!