Name: Spinach & ricotta cannelloni
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Makes 10 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil; 8 garlic cloves crushed; 3 tbsp caster sugar; 2 tbsp red wine vinegar; 4 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes; small bunch basil leaves; 2 x 250g tubs mascarpone; 3 tbsp milk; 85g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated; 2 x 125g balls mozzarella sliced; 1kg spinach; 100g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated; 3 x 250g tubs ricotta; large pinch grated nutmeg; 400g dried cannelloni

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Spinach & ricotta cannelloni

Spinach & ricotta cannelloni

Good Food team

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Makes 10 servings

Easy

Prep: 50 mins

Cook: 40 mins

A star rating of 4.4 out of 5.133 ratingsRate

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Try our easy spinach and ricotta cannelloni. Keep a few portions of this vegetarian classic in the freezer and you'll never be stuck for a satisfying supper

Freezable

Vegetarian

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

For the tomato sauce

3 tbsp olive oil
8 garlic cloves

crushed
3 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
small bunch basil leaves

For the topping

2 x 250g tubs mascarpone
3 tbsp milk
85g parmesan

(or vegetarian alternative), grated
2 x 125g balls mozzarella

sliced

For the filling

1kg spinach
100g parmesan

(or vegetarian alternative), grated
3 x 250g tubs ricotta
large pinch grated nutmeg
400g dried cannelloni

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal711
fat47g
saturates27g
carbs44g
sugars15g
fibre5g
protein30g
salt1.59g

Method

step 1

First make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the garlic for 1 min. Add the sugar, vinegar, tomatoes and some seasoning and simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally, until thick. Add the basil and divide the sauce between 2 or more shallow ovenproof dishes (see Tips for freezing, below). Set aside. Make a sauce by beating the mascarpone with the milk until smooth, season, then set aside.
step 2

Put the spinach in a large colander and pour over a kettle of boiling water to wilt it (you may need to do this in batches). When cool enough to handle squeeze out the excess water. Roughly chop the spinach and mix in a large bowl with 100g Parmesan and ricotta. Season well with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.
step 3

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Using a piping bag or plastic food bag with the corner snipped off, squeeze the filling into the cannelloni tubes. Lay the tubes, side by side, on top of the tomato sauce and spoon over the mascarpone sauce. Top with Parmesan and mozzarella. You can now freeze the cannelloni, uncooked, or you can cook it first and then freeze. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden and bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 mins before serving.

Tips for how to make cannelloni

How to freeze cannelloni

Allow the cooked cannelloni to cool at room temperature before covering well, then freeze. Always freeze on the day you make it. You could freeze individual cooked portions in ovenproof dishes or foil trays. Simply reduce the cooking time slightly when re-heating.

How to defrost cannelloni

Defrost uncooked cannelloni in the fridge overnight, then cook as per the recipe.

To cook from frozen: Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and cook, covered with foil, for 1 hr 25 mins. Remove foil, turn the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and cook, uncovered, for 20-30 mins

Variations on spinach & ricotta cannelloni

Make the recipe healthier by doubling the quantity of tomato sauce. Use this to top the cannelloni instead of the creamy sauce.
Sprinkle with breadcrumbs for a satisfyingly crunchy topping.
To make it meaty, fill the cannelloni with a meat ragu or try adding some chopped fried bacon to the spinach mix.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, June 2010

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A star rating of 4.4 out of 5.133 ratings

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