When you're in the mood for pasta but fancy whipping up something special without too much effort, this spinach and ricotta cannelloni recipe is just the ticket.
The tubular cannelloni pasta shells are filled with a mixture of creamy ricotta, garlicky spinach and salty parmesan.
The filled cannelloni are then nestled on a base of herby tomato sauce and drenched in a smooth white sauce with a blanket of cheese, then baked until bubbling and gorgeous.
This recipe makes a large tray full of tender spinach and ricotta cannelloni, enough for six hungry people.
Here’s my spinach and ricotta cannelloni recipe in full, with lots of step-by-step photos to help you at every stage.
Ingredients
For the tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 brown onion finely chopped
- 800 g (28 oz) canned chopped tomatoes
- salt and black pepper
For the cannelloni filling
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 30 g (2 tbsp) slightly salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 180 g (6.5 oz) fresh spinach washed drained and dried
- 500 g (18 oz) ricotta cheese
- 165 g (1⅔ cups) Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese alternative
- salt and black pepper
- 250 g (9 oz) dried cannelloni shells
For the white sauce topping
- 20 g (1 tbsp) slightly salted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 80 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) plain white flour (all purpose flour) all purpose flour
- 800 ml (3⅓ cup) whole milk
- salt and black pepper
- 150 g (1¼ cup) grated/shredded mature cheese
Instructions
To make the tomato sauce
Heat the oil in a large pan over low-medium heat.
Add the onion and garlic and fry gently for 10 minutes until soft.
Add the chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Simmer for 5 mins until thickened a little. Set aside.
To make the cannelloni filling
In another pan, warm the oil and butter over a medium heat.
Add the nutmeg and garlic.
Fry for 30 seconds.
Add the spinach.
Cook gently until just wilted
Tip into a bowl to cool.
Once cool. finely chop and return to the bowl.
Add the ricotta and grated hard cheese.
Mix, season to taste and set aside.
To make the white sauce
Melt the butter and oil in a pan over a medium heat
Add the flour and milk.
Whisk over the heat until the sauce is thickened.
Season and set aside.
To assemble
Grease a large roasting tray, then pour the tomato sauce into the base, spreading evenly.
Fill a piping bag with the spinach and ricotta mix and then snip off the end. Use to fill the cannelloni shells.
Lay the filled cannelloni on top of the tomato sauce in a single layer.
Pour the white sauce all over, aiming for an even coating that should just cover the pasta.
Scatter the grated cheese over the top.
Season with salt and pepper.
Bake at 200C (180C fan, 390F) for 30-35 minutes until the pasta is tender, which you can check by pushing a skewer into the centre of a cannelloni shell.
Serve and enjoy!
Print this spinach and ricotta cannelloni recipe
Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni Recipe
Ingredients
For the tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 brown onion finely chopped
- 800 g (28 oz) canned chopped tomatoes
- salt and black pepper
For the cannelloni filling
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 30 g (2 tbsp) slightly salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 180 g (6.5 oz) fresh spinach washed drained and dried
- 500 g (18 oz) ricotta cheese
- 165 g (1⅔ cups) Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese alternative
- salt and black pepper
- 250 g (9 oz) dried cannelloni shells
For the white sauce topping
- 20 g (1 tbsp) slightly salted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 80 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) plain white flour (all purpose flour) all purpose flour
- 800 ml (3⅓ cup) whole milk
- salt and black pepper
- 150 g (1¼ cup) grated/shredded mature cheese
Instructions
To make the tomato sauce
- Heat the oil in a large pan over low-medium heat.
- Add the onion and garlic and fry gently for 10 minutes until soft.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 mins until thickened a little. Set aside.
To make the cannelloni filling
- In another pan, warm the oil and butter over a medium heat, then add the nutmeg and garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the spinach and cook gently until just wilted, then tip into a bowl to cool.
- Once cool. finely chop and return to the bowl.
- Add the ricotta and grated hard cheese, mix, season to taste and set aside.
To make the white sauce
- Melt the butter and oil in a pan over a medium heat
- Add the flour and milk and whisk over the heat until the sauce is thickened.
- Season and set aside.
To assemble
- Grease a large roasting tray, then pour the tomato sauce into the base, spreading evenly.
- Fill a piping bag with the spinach and ricotta mix and then snip off the end. Use to fill the cannelloni shells.
- Lay the filled cannelloni on top of the tomato sauce in a single layer.
- Pour the white sauce all over, aiming for an even coating that should just cover the pasta.
- Scatter the grated cheese over the top.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Bake at 200C (180C fan, 390F) for 30-35 minutes until the pasta is tender, which you can check by pushing a skewer into the centre of a cannelloni shell.
- Serve and enjoy!
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Dan says
Just got done eating this, added some lemon to my spinach and ricotta mix which added a nice zesty flavour. It was damn delicious, best cannelloni I have had/made. I also converted my girlfriend into being a fan of cannelloni.
Thanks!
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!
Lauretta At Home and Horizon says
Wow! I've never seen this recipe before nor tried it. Looking at how you made the recipe, makes me want to try it. Yum yum.
Emily Leary says
Oh I hope you enjoy it! :) Let me know!
Jenni says
I love spinach and ricotta cannelloni but I’ve never made it myself, I wish I had more time to cook properly. This looks incredible x
Emily Leary says
Thanks! This one has a few shortcuts in it to make the sauce etc so it's a lot quicker to make than you might think :)
five little doves says
Ooh nice! You cant beat spinach and ricotta, it's such a lovely combination and cannelloni done like this i is pretty much the only way we ever get the kids to eat spinach!!
Emily Leary says
Thanks! Let me know if you try it with the kids :)
Charli says
I haven't had spinach and ricotta cannelloni for a long long time but love it. The crispy top sounds great - I really have to try it!
C x
Emily Leary says
Thanks very much!
adriana says
Wow this looks so good! I love this flavor combination - definitely need to make this! Yum!
Emily Leary says
Thanks very much. Do make it - it's super yummy!