Portions: 6 servings Calories: 596kcal |
I like my pasta dishes simple. A few ingredients, some olive oil, toss, serve. If you asked me how to make cannelloni without much complication, this stuffed cannelloni with spinach and ricotta is just the recipe I'd offer. It's so easy to make, so filling, that it'll turn into your new family favorite.
By - Revised . Original Apr 30, 2013.
Cannelloni with Ricotta and Spinach Recipe.
Why we ❤️ it
- I make this dish without having to pre-boil the lasagna sheets. It's the same easy method I use in this lasagna recipe.
- The cannelloni will cook in the liquids from the ricotta and spinach filling and the tomato sauce, which gives it much more flavor and saves time.
- It's also much easier to fill the raw pasta tubes, and you don't have to deal with pasta that breaks and sticks.
- The grated Parmesan cheese gives it a strong flavor that contrasts nicely with the mild ricotta.
- You can use this same recipe if you want to make ricotta-filled manicotti.
Cannelloni with Ricotta and Spinach Recipe
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Utensils and tools
Ingredients
For the tomato sauce
- ¼ cup olive oil
- white onion, (large), diced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 5 pound tomatoes, very ripe, peeled and diced
- ¼ cup basil, chopped
- 1 teaspoon oregano powder
- 1½ teaspoon salt, (or more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, (freshly-cracked, or ground), or more to taste
For the ricotta filling
- 4 cups low-fat Ricotta cheese
- 3 cups chopped spinach
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup chopped basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
To assemble
- 12 cannelloni, marked "no pre-cooking"
- ½ cup thinly sliced Pecorino, or Parmesan cheese
Preparation
1. Making tomato sauce
Heat the oil over low heat.Add the onion and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion becomes translucent.Add the tomatoes. Cover and simmer over very low heat until the tomatoes are cooked through (around 30 mins).Add the basil and season with oregano, salt and pepper to taste.
2. Making the ricotta filling
Mix ricotta, garlic powder, basil and spinach in a deep bowl.Add the oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Stuffing cannelloni
- While you stuff the cannelloni, preheat oven to 350 ºF [175 ºC].Pour the ricotta and spinach filling into a plastic bag and cut a corner. Using the bag as a pastry bag, fill the uncooked cannelloni with the ricotta.Cover the bottom of the baking pan with half the tomato sauce, and arrange the cannelloni on the baking pan. Cover them with the rest of the tomato sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
4. Baking
- Bake for 30 minutes or until cannelloni are cooked through (check unwrapping carefully, and cover and bake for 7 more minutes if necessary).
5. Serving
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle with peccorino, and serve.See serving suggestions below.
Top tips
- Covering: Make sure the baking pan is covered well with the aluminum foil, the steam created during baking will cook the cannelloni.
- Tomato sauce: You can use supermarket jarred tomato sauce to save time, though I prefer homemade tomato sauce.
Serving suggestions
I serve cannelloni with salad. Any leafy salad would do, but especially arugula salad. My favorite is a mixture of arugula, tomato, and olives tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper.
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Similar recipes to try
If you'd like to try some more pasta recipes, don't miss this Spaghetti casserole, Lasagna rolls, Dominican minced beef and bechamel cannelloni, or Dominican lasagna.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
Excellent and easy recipe, recommended! ❤️
Happy to hear you liked it!
Loved it, very easy, healthy and everyone licked their fingers.
Can I use a supermarket bottled spaghetti sauce??
It certainly will. 🙂