Spinach and ricotta are a match made in heaven, and this spinach and ricotta cannelloni has that creamy, comforting spinach and ricotta stuffing with a rich tomato sauce.
Here we have a meal which is suspiciously similar in both method and look to my Vegetable Enchiladas; not in taste though! It also bears a significant resemblance to my Spinach, Tomato and Goats Cheese Cannelloni – however, I’ve gone for ricotta over goats cheese because I fancied the softer, more delicate taste tonight as opposed to tangy goats cheese.
Anyway, back to the recipe – give it a go; it is desperately straightforward and the use of fresh lasagne sheets rather than dried cannelloni tubes also makes it surprisingly fast to make. What’s not to like?
This will serve 4, and takes 40 minutes to make.
Ingredients, Substitutions and Variations
- Olive oil – you could use vegetable oil.
- Onion – a large brown onion is best.
- Spinach – either use fresh spinach or defrosted frozen spinach.
- Nutmeg – ground nutmeg is spinach’s best friend and makes sure that spinach and ricotta filling has enough flavour to stand up against the tomato sauce.
- Ricotta – don’t sub.
- Fresh lasagne sheets – using fresh lasagne sheets instead of dried cannelloni tubes makes this recipe so much easier. You don’t need to worry about using a piping bag or anything like that – you add the filling then roll around it. Easy peasy!
- Chopped tomatoes – you could also use passata.
- Cherry tomatoes – optional, but they bring some freshness:
- Parmesan – or vegetarian alternative.
Top Tips
- Whizz up the spinach and ricotta
If you like, you can use a food processor to whizz up the spinach and ricotta into a paste. However, the great thing about using lasagne sheets is you don’t need to do this – you can leave it nice and chunky if you choose.
- Get ahead
This dish can be frozen – simply put the whole uncooked dish in the freezer for up to three months. Defrost thoroughly before baking.
- Change the topping
This dish is also great (though cheesier!) with mozzarella on top in place of – or instead of – the Parmesan.
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Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
July 9, 2024Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 200 g spinach
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 500 g ricotta
- 12 fresh lasagne sheets
- 400 g chopped tomatoes
- 1 handful cherry tomatoes
- 10 g grated parmesan or veggie alternative
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
- Chop the onion and add to a frying/saute pan with the olive oil. Saute for 1-2 minutes, then gradually add the spinach until it is all completely wilted. Stir in the nutmeg and a little salt and pepper. Leave to cool for 3-4 minutes.
- Break up the ricotta in a large bowl, and stir in the spinach. Take your fresh lasagne sheets one at a time, and lay a large spoonful of the ricotta mix along one end of the lasagne. Roll it up around the ricotta, then lay in a large oven proof dish. Repeat for the rest of the lasagne sheets.
- Pour the chopped tomatoes evenly over the cannelloni (you probably won’t cover them completely, but that’s fine. Sprinkle over the halved cherry tomatoes and grated parmesan.
- Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until the pasta is cooked and the parmesan is golden.
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