Spinach and ricotta cannelloni
Cannelloni con ricotta e spinaci
I made one big mistake when I prepared these spinach and ricotta cannelloni: I neglected to take a photo of the dish right out of the oven, and it was gone before I had time to pick up the camera.
Homemade spinach and ricotta cannelloni served in a rich cheese sauce is one of the most popular dishes in my family, and after half an hour in the oven the white and colourless appearance is gone and the cannelloni become appetizingly golden. Alternatively, you might try the red cannelloni with radicchio filling.
Ingredients
For the pasta
300 g flour (tipo 00)
2 egg yolks
For the filling
400 g ricotta cheese
200 g fresh spinach
Fresh oregano
2 tbsp grated parmesan
Grated nutmeg, salt, pepper
For the sauce
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
5 dl milk
3 tbsp grated parmesan
100 g mozzarella
Grated nutmeg, salt, pepper
Preparation
Make a mountain with the flour. Place egg yolks in the middle and start working the egg in the flour with a fork.
Knead the dough when all the moisture has been absorbed and run it through the greatest opening in the pasta machine ten times.
Gradually reduce the thickness of the pasta and leave it to rest on a clean kitchen towel.
Meanwhile prepare the cheese sauce
Melt butter in a casserole over low heat
Add flour and stir to a thick, smooth paste
Gradually stir in milk until you have a nice not too thick sauce
Stir in parmesan
Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste and mix with the mozzarella
Clean and boil the spinach to make it soft
Squeeze off excess water and chop the spinach with oregano
Mix spinach and oregano with ricotta, parmesan and nutmeg
Pour half the sauce into an oven proof tin
Cut the pasta into regular rectangles and blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes
Place a line of ricotta filling at one end of the boiled pasta and roll the cannelloni round to form a tube
Place the cannelloni on top of the white sauce
When all the cannelloni have been rolled cover in the remaining white sauce. The dish becomes better, if it is given time to rest and settle, so you can make it hours in advance and just bake it before serving.
Bake the spinach and ricotta cannelloni at 180 C/350 F for 25 minutes before serving.
More filled pasta recipes:
Tasty pecorino stuffed ravioli from Sardinia – Culingionis
Tortellini with spinach and ricotta
Ravioli with Jerusalem artichokes
Uncooked the spinach and ricotta cannelloni look pale and uninviting, but it tastes fantastic when done.
Looks wonderful – I can’t wait to try making them. Buzzed.
Even the uncooked version looks really yummy. Not surprised it was all gone as you took it from the oven. Not getting a photo gives you the excuse to make it again, soon. :)
Julia
I make this – or a similar version but I’ve never made pasta from scratch. One day I’ll try it when I have loads of time.
Hi Leigh, the funny thing about making pasta is that it doesn’t actually take loads of time once you’ve got the hang of it. Just loads of muscle (unless of course you’ve got an electric pasta machine, which I haven’t:)